Breaking Point
by Beckon
Summary: It was almost as if Begnion no longer wished to bother itself with the Laguz Alliance. They had set their sights on a more vulnerable group… after all, the Crimean Queen would be a prize to take from the field.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've had this scenario playing around in my head for a bit, borrowing pieces from other stories I had planned but will probably never get around to doing. The idea got out of hand and turned out to be a lot longer than intended so there's probably going to be a few more chapters to go along with it. I've been on a Royal Knights binge so had to do something with them. **

No.

No. No.

No!

This wasn't happening…

Please, Ashera…

It felt like everything just stopped, including the heart in his chest, as he watched the scene before him break completely apart. Their plans were to try and cut off the Begnion forces, it seemed simple enough when it was written down on the maps and discussed in tents but… he should've known better than to think it would stay like that. This whole war was a mess to start with, but this… this was pushing it and he wasn't sure if this was the direction they really wanted to go.

He wasn't expecting the Royal Knights to show up.

He wasn't expecting Queen Elincia to show up.

He knew she would make a stand against the war, proclaiming Crimea as an independent in this war; a neutral state. Crimea was struggling enough as it was, the last thing they needed was to get involved in a war that had nothing to do with them. They needed to focus on their own domestic problems, that was it. Of course it wouldn't go over well with Begnion, of course they'd get pissed off but this… this was beyond a respectable reaction.

It was like watching a massacre…

He held no doubts that the Mercenaries and the Laguz Alliance could hold their own against the expansive force of the Begnion army- they had been so far. And while they struggled a few times, they always managed to get back on their feet and hold their own long enough to secure a decent victory. But… the Crimean army had taken a hit once or twice so far, their numbers didn't even compare to Begnion's and because of that… it made them an easy target. Begnion's forces outnumbered them easily enough and for a moment, when he watched them run the field, he was struck with the realization that somehow Begnion must've planned this encounter. Several smaller units had arrived and sealed off the clearing that the Royal Knights had emerged from, sealing off their only way of escape and surrounding them on all sides.

It was almost as if Begnion no longer wished to bother itself with the Laguz Alliance. They had set their sights on a more vulnerable group… after all, the Crimean Queen would be a prize to take from the field.

"Oh Goddess…"

The words left him airlessly as he watched the units surge forward and watched as the Knights almost immediately sank underneath the ambushed attack.

"Hey, can we not stand around and watch this?!"

The sharp call from behind him snapped him out of the scene and the cold realization of the situation hit him. If they didn't do something now… they were going to lose all of Crimea in this one battle. What the hell was he thinking?!

"Go, go, go! Cut off the Begnion forces, protect the Royal Knights!"

If anything, he needed to protect Queen Elincia just the same but if she lost everyone in this battle…

And like that, he watched was the Mercenaries erupted from behind him and rushed in to take to the field.

Titania and Oscar took their positions as lead as they dove headfirst into the circling massacre; seemingly ignoring their own safety in order to obey the order. They were more concerned for the safety of the Knights and took that over caring about the awaiting leader who stood on the other end of the field; there would be plenty of time to cut the head from the body but… until then, there were more important matters. He trusted the two paladin riders, after all they had been carrying the Mercenaries single-handedly through the war so far… if anyone could provide a sense of protection, it was them.

Gatrie went through next with Boyd close at his side, ready to cut down any stragglers that Titania and Oscar didn't strike the first time through.

Shinon and Rolf took position to eliminate who they could from a further distance; he could hear the sharp snapping of the bow with every released arrow.

The sharp shrieking overhead gave away Ulki and Janaff's positions as they soared ahead to provide what cover they could without getting themselves in an arrow's way.

He could never question the Mercenaries' strength, after they had lead the way during the Mad King's War and swiftly saved Lady Lucia at the last minute, there was no second-guessing their abilities on the field.

But for once, it didn't seem like enough.

He questioned his own ability to empty the field this time.

It was a cold, startling feeling that shook every limb and made it difficult to move. Tightening his grip on the sword in hand, he took a step forward and took to the field himself… feeling as though he was the last one to do so.

Setting his sights on the struggling Crimean Queen, he tried to use his speed to compensate for his late start; making easy work of the distance between the two since most of the soldiers in between had been slain by those before him. He felt the ground almost shake beneath him as Mordecai thundered by; his heavy Tiger form was usually slow in movement but today carried on an unseen sense of determination in his features. Well… being outrun by a Tiger was one thing but at least he would help to clear the battlefield with greater precision. Still though he couldn't help the slight feeling of being useless overcome him.

The heat of the massacre was easy to get lost in though and he was overcome by the circling mess of soldiers. Begnion paladins created a tight circle around the battle, determined to lock the Knights into one area; it would make them easier to take out one by one. Titania was giving them a nice run though and he watched as the woman cut through a short opening, forcing the soldiers to scramble as they tried to reconnect their lines.

There were plenty of other soldiers to go around though and he felt the field finally come to life as the heat of a blade skimmed the flesh of his left arm. He was quick to turn and eliminate the soldier though, splitting the man's throat open in a single swing. The motion had happened so flawlessly, the action was fluid… he wondered if it had even happened in the first place. But the heavy strike of the soldier hitting the ground in heavy convulsions, dying fingers grasping at the widen split of his throat said otherwise. He tried not to be one to dwell and continued to make his way towards the rampaging mess.

"Jeez, where do they get all these guys?!" Gatrie shouted, gritting his teeth slightly as a paladin struck at his shield, just barely missing his head by a few inches.

"Stop being a baby." Boyd replied as he ran the back of his hand across a short gash that split his right cheek open. "We've barely even started this thing. Just give us a few minutes and we'll have this mess all under control, right Ike?"

He almost didn't even hear the words and paused to take sight of the battle once more.

"Ike, get your head out of your ass and pay attention."

The words helped to snap him free once more and he turned back to the green-haired man. "Yeah… it would go a little faster if you stopped complaining about little cuts like that."

"Hey, this thing almost put out my eye I'll have you know." Boyd remarked, wincing slightly as an arrow collided with Gatrie's shield; he turned back and watched as the Marshal shook off the hit before he started towards the battle. "Okay, so what exactly is your problem today?"

He frowned briefly at the words and turned to knock down the swordsman that rushed him, eventually twisting his blade into the man's chest as a final act. "I don't think right now is the time to answer something like that."

"Well I'm not sure if you're going to make it to the end of this battle, you look like you're about to have a heart attack." Boyd continued as he loosened a hand axe from the back of his belt; he held it for a moment to steady his footing and get his aim down before he pulled back and released it. He held his breath until he heard that ever familiar shriek of the targeted soldier getting struck by the airborne blade.

"Now is not the time." he repeated. "Are you going to help me break that line or not?"

"Ah well… I figured Oscar was going to do it eventually…" he started sarcastically before he eventually scraped the sentence. "Yeah, let's get this over with."

He wanted to ask the man if he even cared about the Royal Knights' well-being but he knew how the Warrior functioned at times… still, the empty tone made him question his alliance for a moment.

And then he heard an even greater shriek that caught the attention of both of them.

The circling path of paladins was broken once more, but this time from the inside as one of the soldiers was knocked completely down- mount and all. He thought it might've been Titania once more but he quickly noted that the armor was blue instead of red. The Crimean General spared no expense though and circled back to catch the next soldier off-guard. It was an excruciating noise as he burrowed the silver tip of his lance into the man's chest, breaking through his armor to crush his chest plate and pierce the heart beneath. With a quick twist, he pulled the body off the saddle and let it fall to the ground below, somehow managing to rip the weapon free before it broke off. His next swing was a little slower and only managed to damage the next soldier's armor, a great contrast to the move he just performed.

"Well hey, looks like they're doing better than we thought." Boyd remarked.

And then there came the javelin that managed to lodge itself into the General's shoulder, breaking off part of his armor in the process.

"… Nevermind, forget that previous statement."

The battle continued on in an ever turning mess of blades and soldiers; the ending never seemed to get any closer and it felt like whenever he knocked down one, there were three more to take its place. He watched as a few of the Mercenaries took heavy hits and were knocked down, but they were quick to get back up and continue on the fight. Even he was knocked off his feet from a heavy collision with an enemy Marshal, its shield felt as though it had popped his shoulder out of place and had he not rolled out of the way, he would've had the lance stuck in his ribcage. But he couldn't afford to stay down and immediately got back up to continue the battle.

He heard that terrified scream and turned in fear, watching as the blacked-haired Archer was knocked free from her mount. There was no wasted time as he forced himself to her location, driving his blade through the soldiers in his path, not even bothering if the hit killed them or not. By the time she had managed to find the strength to get to her feet, he was at her side; striking down the swordsman who had threatened to claim her.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, keeping one eye on the field around them.

"Not really." Astrid managed to gasp out, one hand keeping to her abdomen. "I should live though, so that's good."

That wasn't the least bit good…

"Do you need-" he barely had time to finish his sentence before he felt her hand against his shoulder as she shoved him out of the way. A worn down crossbow took his place and in a single squeeze of the trigger, she planted an arrow into the eye of an approaching soldier; killing any sense of life there might've been in the man. He would be the first to admit he didn't even see the man approaching…

"Well, at least my eyes are still good." she spoke, offering a faint chuckle along with the words.

He kept her covered until she managed to secure her mount and get back into the saddle, eventually taking off to the other end of the battlefield.

It was only when they managed to cut down the soldiers circling about, when they managed to force an opening and keep it open, they were able to split their forces to go for the Begnion General in charge. He kept back to keep an eye on the Royal Knights, watching as they were able to make a stand of their own despite the overwhelming circumstances that were against them at first. It was a huge relief to see that they were still able to function, that they weren't in a position to fall. Perhaps he had gone into this battle with too much panic, maybe he underestimated their strength… but he supposed it was better to be safe than sorry.

Not to mention, he didn't even want to risk the Crimean Queen being hurt.

The thought of it created an ache in his chest that wouldn't go away.

By the time the battle was over with, the field was torn apart and littered with countless bodies, most if not all of them were Begnion soldiers. He felt an odd sense of guilt to admit how glad he was for that… glad to know that not a single soldier from their own army had been put down. He was still shaking and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion kept rattling his nerves, but he had a feeling it wasn't from the fighting and he knew better than to think otherwise.

It was from the panic, the worry and… everything left.

He had managed to take a few hits but they were barely anything more than flesh wounds, nothing more than scratches. And he wasn't going to complain about them, he had put himself into far too many close calls to be comfortable with for the rest of the war. Panting slightly, he moved to sheath his sword and wipe the sweat from his forehead before he looked to see what was going on.

Mordecai, Ulki, Boyd and Titania had departed to take care of the Begnion General and were slow to return, finding that the mess of bodies across the field had created quite an obstacle course for them. He was surprised at their ability to take down the rest of the Begnion regiment so quickly but… he wasn't going to curse their timing; the quicker the battle was over, the better.

A few of the other soldiers like Gatrie, Shinon and Mia kept on their guard just in case reinforcements decided to show up; they would be enough to buy the rest of the field some time.

Those remaining were taking the quick downtime to rest and pull themselves back together, taking the pause to check over one another.

The Royal Knights… they were doing about the same.

He pushed himself towards them after having been pushed aside when the battle finally broke down and found himself having to step over bodies while trying not to let his nerves fail him.

He needed to speak to them, he needed to know if they were okay, if they were going to make it. Maybe even more importantly… he needed to speak with her…

Three years was a long time.

Calill kept her hands on Astrid's shoulders as she tried to calm her down; the Archer was still clinging to her stomach with one hand keeping cover over her mouth. The encounter didn't spell anything good and curiosity had him wanting to know what it was but respect kept him from thinking more on it. It didn't seem to take all that long before Makalov cut in and quickly took the woman into his arms, feeling the way his wife seemed to immediately fall against him.

They were in bad shape.

"Hey, Sir Ike… long time no see." Marcia called as she dismounted from her Pegasus nearby; the armor on her left leg was gone, leaving behind a long gash to split her calf open. She held a look of exhaustion, but it was one that seemed that had been carried over from more than just one battle; it was a lingering sensation, a lingering feeling. A short groan left her as she set her hands against her back and pushed it forward, earning a sharp crack in response. "Thanks for the assist. We really needed it…"

"I wish we could've gotten here sooner." he started, catching sight of Titania and the others growing closer now. "How have things been? You guys look in bad shape."

"The absolute worst." she chuckled. "You should probably talk to the General, he'd be glad to hear from you again." she twisted this time to dispel another muscle cramp before she paused slightly. "What the… what's up with Astrid? Did something happen?"

He gave a light shake of his head in answer. "I don't know, she got knocked off her horse earlier-"

"Shit!" and just like that, the woman took off.

Maybe he should ask after all…

Shaking his head, he reluctantly pushed the matter aside and continued on towards the rest of the small group; taking note that the woman he was seeking was just now landing her own Pegasus. She must've just taken an overhead view of the field because he knew she had chosen to remain on the ground throughout the entire duration of the battle- despite the calls for her to get out of danger's way. Even from this distance, he could see the paleness in her skin, the worry etched across her face, and he held no doubt that her hands were shaking just the same because he knew his were.

He just… needed to keep himself calm, figure out what he was going to say and how to handle the situation. But the constant sight of her continued to wipe his mind again and again, causing him to wonder if he was just going to end up rambling to her instead. As long as he could find out if she was going to be okay though… he supposed it wouldn't matter what he said to her.

Goddess, the more he thought about it, the longer three years seemed to be.

"Man, this battle took long enough."

He felt himself cringe slightly at the voice and turned in order to see the same green-haired man from before. Well… there went speaking to the Crimean Queen himself. "Yeah well… it was well worth it, right? Everyone's alive and well."

"I don't know, you should see this gash that Oscar got, talk about a killer." Boyd remarked. "It's going to be a hellva wound to heal."

"You took a hit to the face but I think that's more of an improvement." Ike replied.

"Go fuck yourself."

He hit the Warrior briefly in the side with his elbow before he pushed himself towards the Queen, watching as she slowly dismounted from the winged mount. "Queen Elincia." he started, at first wondering if his voice had even been loud enough to get her attention.

But she turned at the call seamlessly and when her eyes met with his own… it felt like the entire battlefield around them was gone; that every body, living or dead, was no longer in presence. And in that single moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of calmness, as though all the panic from before had never existed in the first place.

"Lord Ike." she spoke in return, looking as though she was about to say more before she stopped herself. "You deserve my thanks."

"I wish we could've gotten here sooner." he started. "We weren't expecting them to cut this far inland… and we had been kind of hoping their forces would've been smaller." it felt like he was merely rambling in hopes to start some kind of apology for the mess. But it was honest, their reports didn't show a force of this size; the Begnion regiment should've been easier to take down but then again, they weren't expecting another unit to move in for an ambush either…

"Well, you don't have to worry about them for now, we've got it all under control." Boyd spoke.

If he wasn't in the presence of the Crimean Queen, he would've struck the man once more to keep him quiet.

"Not sure how long that's going to last though."

He would've hit him really hard too.

The woman offered another light smile and gave a short nod. "Yes well… I will have to agree with that statement. They haven't stopped for weeks now and I see no reason why they should now."

"That would explain why you guys look like you're in bad shape." Ike continued.

"Words can't described what's happened these past few weeks." Elincia started, a low sigh breaking from her lips as she moved to cross her arms, almost appearing as though she was holding herself instead. "Begnion units have been targeting our cities, civilians… even individual soldiers in an attempt to put us down. And to think they have the nerve to say that we are the ones who are wrong." she paused slightly as fingers moved to brush aside a loose lock of hair, stopping briefly to cradle her left temple.

Goddess… what he would give to just walk over and comfort her, much like how Makalov had been with Astrid. The woman looked as though she was on the verge of breaking but had forced herself to keep her composure for the sake of the army.

"Targeting soldiers? That's low even for Begnion." Boyd commented with a short whistle.

"But it's nothing new." Ike remarked. "Opposing units tend to target healers first to remove any chance of recovery for injured soldiers and they'll target Generals just the same to end a battle as quickly as they can. It follows the process that if you remove the head of the unit, the rest will die."

The woman gave another nod but something in her expression said more. It seemed to take her a bit longer before she lightly cleared her throat. "Yes, I believe that was the process they were following… Geoffrey had been forced off the field two weeks ago; this was his second battle since he's returned to the field."

Even when he had been the one to bring up the point, the woman's remark still managed to catch him off-guard. He had been in plenty of battles before where he himself targeted opposing Generals and where he had been targeted but not once had he ever been forced off the field… He had fought alongside the matching blue-haired General, he knew how the man fought and even beforehand had witnessed his on field strength; it was hard to imagine someone like him falling.

"Is he alright?" he questioned.

"He says he is and acts like it, but… he won't say much else." she replied with a shake of her head.

"How severe was the attack?" Boyd asked.

"It was bad, that's really all I can say." she started before something else seemed to catch her attention. A short look of relief seemed to pass over her gentle features and for a moment, a genuine smile caught onto her lips. "Lucia, Geoffrey, I'm glad to see you two are back."

"It was just a quick perimeter check, nothing special." Lucia remarked with a short chuckle as she walked towards them; hands resting tiredly on her hips. "As far as I can tell though, the Begnion senator turned tail and ran with the remaining forces, which is cowardly but good for our case. If luck turns our way, they'll stay gone for a few more days and give us time to recuperate long enough to get back on our feet. This kind of ambush… it makes you want to kick Begnion where it hurts."

"That is the best thing I have heard all day." Boyd chuckled.

"Ah, Lord Ike, Sir Boyd, I'm glad to see you two are over here." the swordswoman spoke, giving a light smile to them. "I'm sure Queen Elincia has said it plenty of times enough but I believe my own word of thanks is necessary to give."

"Don't worry about it." he replied. "We're just glad we got here when we did… Begnion's forces have been getting more and more out of hand these past few weeks."

"Begnion's center of control is breaking apart and in doing so, each part is trying to gain more power than the other; they're pushing themselves to get as much power as they can in as little time as possible." Geoffrey added. "These Begnion senators are just doing it for the fun and glory, they're doing it because they can buy their own army and show off and no one's going to stop them."

"That sounds about right." he nodded. "From our own reports, we've been getting the same words."

Elincia shook her head slightly and crossed her arms once more. "I just want this whole mess to be over with but I know for certain we're far from it."

"At least we're one step closer." Lucia offered before a sharp call from behind them caught her attention; she turned back at the commotion and seemed to react to something that they couldn't immediately see. "I uh… you'll have to excuse me, I need to check on something." and like that, she hurried off elsewhere.

He wondered if it had something to do with Astrid.

"Hey, I'm gonna check on Oscar and see how that leg of his is doing; you know he's got that gimp status and all." Boyd started, clapping a hand against his back. "Just let me know what we're doing after we're done here."

He nodded and watched as the man walked off to seek out his older brother; he supposed he should've been a little more concerned for Oscar's condition just as well. There would be time for questioning later though… right now, he wanted to get this matter solved. Still though, he recalled the woman's words from before when she mentioned the ordeal with Begnion and slowly glanced over to where the Crimean General stood just a few feet from him.

Just like with Marcia, he held the same look of extended exhaustion in his features but for the General, it had increased to leaving dark and red circles underneath his eyes, giving off an almost hazed look; the exhaustion had left dark lines across his face, aging him by a few years. More noticeably though was the white scar that ran across his left cheek, starting from the corner of his lip and moving back to the curve of his jaw.

The affected area was still red, hinting that it was still somewhat raw and healing… the injury had to have occurred only a few days before.

He bet if Boyd had seen the scar beforehand, he wouldn't be so quick to complain about the short gash he had.

"It's been a long day for everyone, what do you say we camp for the night and let everyone rest up?" he offered.

"We appreciate your assistance with the battle, we really do but… it doesn't change the fact that we're still a neutral state." Elincia started, fingers moving to tug slightly on the cuff of her sleeve. "Communication and interaction between us should remain at a minimum."

He suspected something like that would be said and had feared it just the same. It was like a fatal blow but he kept his composure strong and nodded briefly, showing a sense of understanding even when he didn't want to. "I see…"

Those two words seemed to shake her slightly and he watched her press her lips together for a moment, showing off a look of reconsideration. Her eyes glanced downward before she shifted her attention. "What do you think our plan of action should be, Geoffrey?"

The question seemed to catch the man off-guard for a few seconds, forcing him to recall the words that had just been passed between the two. "As a neutral state, you're correct that communication should be restricted, but… we've been following these rules as closely as we can and look at where it's gotten us; Begnion's been trying to control our cities and when we don't respond accordingly to their demands, they burn them down. At this point, I don't think it matters what we do, they'll still insist on terrorizing our civilians. Not to mention, perhaps more so on a personal note, Astrid's in bad shape right now and I don't want to risk moving her; the stress is only going to worsen her condition."

She nodded and seemed to agree without much else needing to be said. "Well then, I suppose that settles it… Lord Ike, it seems as though we will be taking you up on that offer."

Thank the Goddess.

"I'm pleased to hear the change of heart." he started, briefly chuckling to himself. "I'll inform the others of the plan and get everyone to pack things up here." he stepped back slightly before he switched his attention to the General just the same. "I can get Rhys to look at your shoulder when we set up camp; you took that javelin hit pretty hard earlier."

"Geoffrey!"

And suddenly he had a feeling that he probably shouldn't have mentioned that.

But, as cruel as it may sound, hopefully it would help to turn the situation into his favor a little more. Maybe it was selfish just the same too but… he still wanted a moment with the woman; he would wait however long he needed to but if there was an opportunity to have that moment now, then he would find a way to make it happen.

Just… just a few minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed to take longer to get everyone to pack up and leave the battlefield behind them than it did to get back to their camp. While he wanted to walk at the Queen's side, he knew they both had their separate duties and teams to keep to. So he kept himself busy speaking with Boyd and Titania whenever she responded to something being said. Most of the time she seemed to keep her attention on Oscar who, in fact, really did have a pretty serious gash that tore open his right thigh. He brushed off its severity although it was obvious that it pained him extensively; while he kept one hand pressed against the injury, the blood had long since pushed through his fingers and spilled down the rest of his leg.

"How did you manage to get this again?" Titania questioned, keeping herself close to his side.

"It's fine, stop worrying about it." he assured.

"You're bleeding all over the place."

"It's… not that bad."

"This paladin guy rode by and stabbed him through the leg." Boyd answered, interjecting himself into the conversation. "I didn't see it but that's what he told me."

"And now I regret it."

He chuckled briefly at the mixed interaction and had to remind himself that it was this bond that had brought them all this far; this kind of bond helped them drive into the battlefield as one unit. Although he supposed it could be said that it was this connection and even fear that lead them to fight like they did… there was nothing more frightening to him than the thought of losing someone. They had come so close several times and each time he remembered the sheering panic and pain that came with the realization that one of them might not make it through the night. There was that time where Oscar took that hit out on the field and ended up getting knocked from his mount; panic set in when he couldn't get back up and his injury continued to worsen with every passing minute. It was an act of juggling the battlefield to keep enemy soldiers away and keep him from succumbing to the wound. Somehow he managed to pull through despite the odds against him and made a decent recovery, although from time to time he had to take a moment to let the scar tissue heal over again.

When Gatrie got ambushed by several Fire Sages months before, his armor had been heated to the point that it almost fused with the skin underneath. They didn't know it at the time and had rushed to get the armored plates off in order to evaluate the injuries… they ended up almost completely removing the skin off his right arm. He would never escape the image of his skin peeling off with the armor, pulling and stretching it until it snapped free. Even small fibers of his uniform underneath had blended in with his flesh, almost merging the two into one perfect mess. The man had started to assure them but passed out from the shock before he could finish his sentence.

Mist had several close encounters just the same and he swore if he hadn't been close by, things wouldn't be how they were today. He was thankful for having a tight knit team like this though. Once before a swordsman caught her off guard and managed to land a pretty nasty cut on her right shoulder, hitting hard enough to knock her off her feet. He had rushed to help but was just as easily knocked down by an opposing Halberdier. If Rhys hadn't summoned a Light spell when he did… again, things would be different.

It made him wonder if the Royal Knights were going through that kind of ordeal right now.

After a mess of a battle like that, they all had to have been dragging their own share of injuries. He never got close enough to one of them to notice their injuries; he may have stood just a few feet from Geoffrey but his heavier set of armor kept most of them hidden. Although Lady Lucia seemed to be pretty free from injuries herself, not that he had paid much attention to see if there were any… then again, since the Crimean General was her brother, he doubted Geoffrey let anyone get close to her anyways. Much like how he usually acted when Mist was on the battlefield.

From what he could tell, over the loud conversation or rather argument Boyd was having with Oscar, the smaller group seemed pretty quiet- even Kieran couldn't really be heard. And one never really had to try to hear Kieran, it always just happened. Although he had heard Marcia laugh once or twice so someone was trying to break the stillness at least.

But Janaff and Ulki had assured him that they couldn't hear nor see any movement for miles around, so even if this kind of arrangement was technically broking code… no one from Begnion would be around to see it. Or at least, that was the hope. From what he could see though, neither Elincia nor Geoffrey seemed to care much for Begnion's opinion on the matter; they were more worried for keeping an eye on everyone's well-being and making sure they got the proper treatment they needed. He didn't think it mattered because Begnion sure as hell wasn't following any codes themselves.

But he would respect Queen Elincia's decision to remain neutral.

Crimea deserved that much and she was trying to keep her people out of this mess.

And he couldn't blame them, it wasn't like he wanted to be here either. War was something he experienced once before… he hadn't been rushing to get more experience from another one.

"Ike, tell Oscar he's wrong." Boyd remarked, cutting him from his thoughts for the third time that day.

"I'm not involved in this matter." he replied quickly although he hadn't heard a word from the argument. "If I had to go with picking someone who's wrong, your record hasn't exactly been the best."

"I'm never having your back again."

"I think I might be able to live with that."

"Not to interrupt you boys, but since camp is just up around the corner, I'm going to run ahead and let Rhys know about what's going on." Titania spoke, only mildly breaking their conversation.

He gave a short nod and wondered briefly why he hadn't thought of that sooner. "That's probably for the best. Mist will probably want to know just as well, she can help with some of the smaller injuries."

The woman returned with her own nod before she brought her knees in slightly and urged her steed into a soft run. He watched as she started ahead and disappeared soon after although the thundering hooves of her mount could still be heard. They weren't all that far now… hopefully everyone could last a few more minutes.

Their camp wasn't exactly anything extravagant, it kind of just looked liked a mess of tents from a distance and… pretty much remained as such even up close. There were a few fire pits they had dug out and placed some logs around for sitting room; they had set up some water basins on one end of the camp for basic cleaning and kept it by what was deemed the medical tent for… well, he supposed that was self-explanatory. Not exactly anything new, pretty much every camp system was set up like this. Still, there was always a sense of comfort to be taken in when they returned to camp after a long battle like the one before and that feeling would never get old.

An exhausted sigh escaped him when they finally turned the corner and reached the small settlement. They could finally put their swords and armor up and call it a day.

"Ike!"

And, right on cue, there was Mist.

She had stayed back this time around to fully rest from a brief illness; she had seemed okay the morning before but he didn't want to risk anything and preferred her being mad at him for a short while over her straining herself on the field. She seemed to have tossed that slight irritation aside now and came out of her tent to greet him.

"Hey, you know I always come back." he started but didn't try to stop her from throwing her arms around him; he figured she needed this kind of interaction to keep from going crazy during the war. He moved to ruin her neatly brushed hair and watched as she immediately leaped away from him. "How have things been around here? Holding down the fort while I was gone?"

"Yeah, for the most part anyways." she spoke before her attention shifted to something behind him. He didn't have to ask to know what she was watching but prepared an answer for her anyways. "Is that the Royal Knights? Wow, look how pretty Elincia is."

"Queen Elincia." He corrected, earning a slight hit to the stomach. "Look uh… they just got out of a really difficult battle and I think it might be best to leave them alone for awhile, at least give them time to recover for a bit."

"Are they staying with us?" she immediately questioned afterwards.

"Well… yes-"

"I should probably go help Rhys with the wounded then."

And just like that… she rushed off to the medical tent.

He gave a loose sigh but decided to push the matter from his head. They had plenty else to deal with for now…

* * *

It didn't take long for the sun to start setting but luckily they had enough natural light to get everyone healed back to one piece; a few lanterns had been lit ahead of time though, just in case. Himself and the rest of the Mercenaries had suffered only casual injuries, a few scraps and cuts- Oscar's leg injury had been the worst of the pack and even then it only took a few elongated moments to heal; he had been advised to stay off of it for awhile but… seeing as he was still moving around the camp, he supposed the advice had been useless to give.

He tried not to pry when those of the Royal Knights were being treated- in just the few hours from the end of the battle, they had managed to call in their own set of healers as well as a few supply carts; it helped to double the size of the camp and give everyone a bit more breathing room. He didn't think their prognosis were going to be all that great since he didn't see many of them after they were tended to… they had probably just retreated to their own tents to get some rest and he couldn't blame them for that. Gatrie had decided to turn in early himself and Mordecai followed soon after. It had been quite some time since they had a battle that lasted that long, even he was beginning to feel the repercussions from it.

The loose activity around the camp was going to make it difficult to find the Crimean Queen though, he half hoped she didn't disappear into her own tent as well.

Making his way through portions of the camp, checking up on whoever was still awake, he paused slightly when he noticed the Crimean General was still out. Perhaps his wounds hadn't been all that severe, although after a battle like that and being in the dead center of it, it was hard to believe. The man was tending to his mount though, carefully placing a small amount of healing ointment on a nasty split across its hindquarters. The ointment must've burned though since the horse immediately kicked lightly with one of its back legs.

"Hey, hey, easy." he started, running one hand against the stallion's neck to calm him down. "The last thing I need is you kicking me again." the remark was met with a short snort and light shake of the head. "I didn't think so."

He thought about walking away, figuring the General might want some time to himself, but quickly found out that he simply couldn't.

"How'd your shoulder heal?" he started, asking only when a suitable amount of distance had been covered and he stood a few, comfortable feet away.

The man glanced back at the question and seemed to chuckle briefly when he realized who it was. "About as easy as it did the first time. The javelin didn't hit as hard as it might've looked, it lost a lot of force and barely managed to pierce the muscle. It still hurt like hell but it could've been a lot worse."

"Oh believe me, I know." Ike replied, carrying a chuckle of his own. "I've been on the wrong end of a few of them and it's not fun." he continued to watch as the man applied several different coats of the ointment to the animal's wound, eventually covering it in a thin layer of pale-blue paste. He patted the stallion's neck once more, this time earning a light head toss back as though in a sign of approval. "… It's probably not any of my business to ask but… that scar you've got on your face, where did that come from?"

He seemed to touch at the scar itself as though to remind himself that it was there. "Elincia's probably already told you about Begnion's new strategy with targeting people."

"She might've mentioned something about it."

"You know that circling maneuver those paladins were using out on the field today?" he questioned, in which he gave a brief nod in answer. "That was the same one they used a few weeks back to separate me from the rest of the Knights. One of the soldiers got a lucky hit in and managed to get me right across the face; it wasn't really all that bad at first but towards the end of the battle I got blindsided and the hit managed to rip the wound further. Not exactly the worse injury to walk away with but I certainly don't want to repeat it."

Maybe he shouldn't have asked then…

Targeting a soldier was one thing but, from what he understood, isolating a soldier for repeated attacks was another thing. Perhaps to coincide with that, the Crimean General kept his uniform on despite the fact that many at the camp had turned theirs in for the evening; the material kept a majority of his skin covered and left the scar on his face as the only one visible.

"How bad was the attack?"

"Well it caught us all off-guard so by the time we caught up to their plans, it was already too late to defend ourselves properly." Geoffrey replied as he started to remove the thick gloves that covered a greater portion of his forearms, eventually tossing them into a bag behind him. "I can't say I know exactly how long the battle actually lasted, I ended up getting knocked down and everything's kind of hazy after that."

He could recall a few stories from Titania and Oscar about the few, rare times they had been completely knocked off from the saddle. They always remarked that the initial landing isn't what really hurts, at least not if you break it correctly, but it's the few seconds afterwards when everything starts to settle down- or rather crashes down. It feels like every bone has been broken and there's no immediate instinct to get back up even though it's exactly what you need to do in those cases.

"That had to have been rough." he remarked, partly cursing himself for the rather... weak response on his behalf.

"I've had a few times where I've been knocked from the saddle and it's pretty damaging but... that was the first time the both of us went down." he continued before he briefly tapped the side of the stallion for a moment, causing the animal to stomp its hoof in response. "And this guy here landed right on top of me."

Now that... that was something new. He had witnessed paladins falling before, but usually when such happened, neither rider or horse got back up.

"I'm surprised you didn't shatter your leg."

"It popped my knee out of place but I was lucky enough to avoid any serious damages to it." the General replied as he moved to calm the stallion once more and check over a few previously tended injuries along its shoulder. "That kind of maneuver isn't really anything new but… I hadn't seen it in any real use until that battle and only then was it able to operate successfully. It can only work during ambush situations because that's when it can hit the hardest, but it forces the enemy soldiers to gain the upper hand as quickly as possible, which is usually where they make a mistake in their lines. Even with an ambush on its side though, the maneuver tends to have a low success rate since a single break in the circle is really all you need to derail it."

"At least I've seen it now though so… if we ever find ourselves caught in a similar situation, we can prevent the full circle from happening. And if not, then your advice will come to great use." Ike remarked. He just briefly caught the sight of several more scars running down the General's arm, each one maintaining its own red tint like the one on his face. From what he could tell, a few of the scars looked as though they had properly healed while the others were still in a rather kind of raw state. "Although I wish that kind of information didn't have to come at such a cost… How are the Royal Knights holding up?"

The following spot of silence seemed to be a first choice answer as the man finished putting the final touches on the animal's injury, carefully laying a small bandage over the ointment. "Astrid, Calill and Danved are being taken off the field for now; they took some hard hits and… I'm not going to risk putting them in danger again."

He figured Astrid would be out but… that only left them with four fighters at best. That was almost half of their forces put down in one battle and there was no doubt the rest of them weren't in the best conditions to fight either. He knew it would be pointless to try and talk them out of the neutral standing but he still felt the need to try and at least offer some kind of protection for them; it still felt as though they had driven Begnion into Crimea and ignited the fight itself.

"We'll be fine, you don't have to worry." Geoffrey spoke, dressing a second injury on the stallion's neck before he turned towards him, showing off the scar across his face once more. It was hard to miss the tissue that carved itself down the center of his left forearm and was surrounded by a unsuitable amount of bruising. "We've gone up against worse situations… this won't be any different."

That was true, he supposed this wasn't any different compared to the struggles during the Mad King's War. Still, a new war always brought on new struggles and a greater risk of loss.

"Have you got a moment to spare, General?"

The voice drew both of their attention to the figure who was slowly making her way towards them. He'd recognize the blonde locks and vibrant dress from anywhere but… the Fire Sage was looking a little on the worse side. Her slender arms were adorned with bandages that held tight against her skin, keeping the previous wounds hidden as best they could; her fitted dress seemed a bit uneven, hinting at more bandages underneath. Dark bruises peeked out where they could and darkened her skin to several different shades of purple and black, spotting a few of the areas with dots of red. There was a minor cut that brushed the corner of her right eye and edged downward towards her jaw but it didn't threaten to leave a scar in its placed when it was through healing. She seemed to keep her left arm lightly tucked over her stomach, favoring it a bit seeing as it was heavily bandaged from her shoulder almost down to her wrist.

"Lady Calill." Geoffrey started, his tone giving away into a heavy sense of concern. "You shouldn't be walking around, especially with that sprained shoulder and ankle of yours."

"It's fine." she assured quickly enough. "The healers did what they could and said they just needed to be iced down for a bit."

"And they probably said you needed to stay off your feet for awhile too." he added.

She seemed to give a playful roll of her eyes towards him at the remark. "I didn't mean to impose on your conversation, but when you have the time, could I have a word with you?"

He seemed to pause only briefly before he turned his attention back to him. "If you'll excuse me, Ike-"

"Don't worry about it." he interrupted. "This is more important."

He gave a departing nod before he moved to step off elsewhere with the woman.

It was hard to ignore the immediate change in his demeanor as soon as he spotted the Fire Sage; he had gone from a somewhat comfortable mood and switched immediately to a look of worry. It reminded him of how Titania usually acted whenever they stepped off the field and made it back to camp. She was always the first to herd the injured towards the medical tent and made sure each person was taken care of- always making herself the last person to be treated. He always assumed it was some kind of almost misplaced motherly instinct. Then again, it brought him back to that earlier thought of how his team had pulled together and would risk their lives for one another… he supposed it had been foolish to think that the Royal Knights didn't share that same kind of bond.

"I keep trying to convince him to join the theater when this war is over." the additional voice caught him off-guard and he turned in the direction of it in time to see Lucia standing next to him. He hadn't even heard her approaching but… then again he supposed he hadn't really be listening either. "He's a great actor."

Her words stirred a sense of questioning and he found a momentary frown on his lips. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry for eavesdropping but I was passing by and couldn't help it." she started as she moved to cross her arms over her chest, moving to settle her weight on one leg. "I appreciate the way he's able to keep his head on straight and hell, I even admire the strength it takes to just do that alone, but… he can't keep doing this."

Her words took a moment to decipher and when the pieces came together, it all fell into place. "Is it because of the attacks from before?" he supposed his question might've sounded repetitive to her but... this was still a new topic for him and his curiosity and sense of concern were winning.

She gave a brief nod and allowed for a short sigh to coincide with it. "Yeah… but he's able to act completely fine about it and change his demeanor to fit any situation, yet it's hard to forget that ten minutes ago he was puking up blood like no tomorrow."

"… That bad?" Ike questioned, finding the statement almost hard to believe. During their brief conversation, the man didn't show the smallest sign of being ill and seemed to be managing himself pretty well.

"It's easy to get caught up with the scar on his face and he's willing to tell the story about it because it's the only scar he can't keep concealed at all times." she remarked briefly. "He doesn't like to talk about the battle because of the injuries he sustained from it; he doesn't want anyone to get worried. He's always followed that kind of code thing where a General shouldn't show weakness on the battlefield because it can cause the rest of the unit to panic."

He knew about that line and couldn't say that he didn't follow it himself from time to time. Occasionally he had brushed off a larger injury like it was nothing just to assure a few people who had gotten worried over it. It was easy to follow a leader who seemed immortal and couldn't be knocked down. He had his own share of falls though and always had to face the looks and questionings of worries and concerns afterwards. Sometimes it was just easier to try and ignore things when they happened for the sake of keeping face and then simply deal with them in solitude at a later time.

"What happened?"

She gave a light shake of her head in response. "There's a long list of injuries but they were bad enough that he remained unconscious for almost an entire week; he could barely remember much when he came to and it took a day or two for him to recall everything. I promised him I wouldn't discuss the matter with anyone but... I'll just add that he really shouldn't have returned to the battlefield so soon."

"So why did he?"

"He didn't have any other choice. Once Begnion heard that he had been struck out in battle, they started to up their attacks. I guess they figured that since the Royal Knights General had been taken out then Crimea itself wouldn't have much of a defense left." Lucia answered. "Now, I'll admit, once he returned to the field things began to turn in our favor again and the battles were put down more smoothly but... it's starting to come at a cost."

For the love of the Goddess…

Fingers moved to pinch the empty space between his eyes for a moment as he let the information settle. "… I respect your standing and I know it takes a lot of strength to keep to your heels, but… sometimes I do wish Crimea would join us. I feel like we would be of more use to you then and that we could do more than just sit aside and watch you have to deal with these kinds of attacks."

It was a light chuckle she offered him this time before she moved to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate your words, Lord Ike… Despite my own, dreary words, I still believe that we can manage ourselves in this war. Who knows, perhaps in the future we'll be given the opportunity to run alongside one another once more."

"It would be a honor." he nodded.

"As will it be for us." she agreed. "If you'll excuse me now, I need to check up on our wounded companions and make sure they're resting as they should and not breaking healers' orders again." she started to walk off for a moment but paused after just a few steps. "I apologize if I might've burdened you with my heavy words earlier… but I am his sister and if I don't worry for him then he surely won't either."

"Don't worry for it, I know the feeling." he assured, giving her one more nod before the two of them started to depart once more. "Ah, just one more moment, Lady Lucia… do you happen to know where Queen Elincia is?"

"I believe she retired to her tent early." she started. "I can go get her for you if you wish."

"No, no, that's quite alright." he quickly objected, although hearing the words left a bitter hole in his chest. "I just wanted to make sure she was alright, that's all. I'll see if I can spare a word with her in the morning before we separate."

"I'm sure she would appreciate that." Lucia replied before she turned and continued on her way.

For a moment, he wondered if he should've hated himself for turning down the offer…

And he wondered if the woman was just as great of an actor as her brother was.

Evening was approaching fast though and the down time gave him the chance to realize how tired he felt from the battle; he had carried some minor wounds away from the field and while they had taken seconds to heal, there was still a lingering sense of pain left behind. The past few days of traveling was probably what was really getting to him though, although now he supposed he didn't feel as though he had a reason to complain anymore.

Shaking his head, he made his way back through the camp, making sure to check again on everyone who he crossed paths with, before he ducked into his own tent. He could go for some silence, although he had a feeling he'd probably be up for half the night due to restlessness. A brief sigh escaped him as he removed the cape from around his shoulders and tossed it aside, choosing to not care where it landed for now.

There was a lot going through his head right now and he could use the time to try and settle the mess out.

Tomorrow would be bringing them another complicated mess that he'd have to solve out or at least try to. Sometimes it felt like this war was wearing down all too quickly on them… it wasn't like anyone had been preparing for something like this to suddenly break out- not that wars were planned in the first place.

Regardless, it was taking its toll on everyone involved and he had a feeling that the ending was too far away for them to even pray for.

"… Lord Ike."


	3. Chapter 3

The voice was slow to catch his attention and he turned towards the opening of the tent to see who it might've been. But it remained semi-closed just like how he had left it seconds before… had he just imagined that voice then?

"For a moment, I was afraid I had gotten the wrong tent… I'm glad to see that I haven't though."

It was at that point that he realized his own mistake and his lack of perception of what was around him, of what his surroundings were. Turning back once more, his eyes settled on the sight of the Crimean Queen herself lightly seated on the edge of his cot; her uniform had been partly dismantled, the few plates of armor had been removed to reveal just the white outfit she wore underneath. While he had always been partial to the orange dress she wore when she was just a Princess… he had to admit that her new clothing style was a bit more appealing.

With the shoulder and chest pieces gone, as well as the hand guards and blue cape, her uniform seemed simplistic at best. A white tunic adorned with gold designs complimented her slender form while an overlapping coat only seemed to further her natural beauty. The lingering coat tails folded slightly underneath her and spilled over the edge of the mattress, just barely managing to brush the ground below. A pair of gold leggings clung tenderly to her slender legs, giving color to their gracious curves and shape. White stocks were pulled over the leggings and hugged around her upper thighs, only furthering the image of perfect legs that had been lightly tucked behind one another. Long, emerald-green locks remained pulled back and elegantly styled to fit the image of a perfect Queen, the picturesque Monarch.

Her eyes remained the same though, continuing to carry the image of that Princess he had met so long age- the same one who had never imagined becoming this, becoming a Queen.

For the moment, he found himself breathless, caught up in the stilling minutes, unable and unsure if there was anything he could say. Everything from before seemed to gracefully escape him, leaving him to pick up what few pieces he could remember.

"Queen Elincia…"

She passed off an almost sorrowful looking smile and slowly pushed herself to her feet; the elongated tails of her overcoat tumbling to stroke the back of her legs with the motion. "We didn't really get a chance to speak before." she started, hands lightly bracing themselves in front of her.

"No, we didn't." he agreed as he moved to cross his arms for the moment, feeling as though he needed to do something to keep his hands from shaking the way they were. "The battlefield's a bit of a difficult place to hold a conversation though… I never asked if you were okay."

"I was a little shaken before but I'm okay now." she answered. "Despite the situation as it was, a soldier never got close to me, which I know is a bit difficult to believe seeing how the field was being ran."

"Well if you weren't standing in front of me right now, I can't say that I would believe that." he remarked with a brief chuckle. "But… I know that Geoffrey and the rest of the Royal Knights wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Her smile faltered slightly at his words and she dropped her eyes to the ground. "They've been working overtime these past few weeks… I can't help but feel responsible for their difficulties."

"Hey, you had no idea that Begnion was going to react the way they chose to. No one knew they were going to strike Crimea regardless-"

"I was weak enough after the situation with Ludveck, but it feels like everything is just breaking me down further now… After the whole ordeal with Geoffrey, I didn't think I could continue supporting our neutrality against Begnion but I knew we couldn't fight them at their full strength either." she started. Fingers moved to brush aside her locks for a moment, tucking them behind one ear before she paused. "It wasn't just Geoffrey either… I mean, it was the ordeal with Lucia and then it just moved its way down the line."

"You're not-"

"Marcia had to take some time off the field when she fell from her Pegasus and broke her shoulder; Danved suffered a minor concussion not long after when he was ambushed while on night patrol. Kieran was knocked off his horse and dragged across the battlefield a few weeks ago, he ended up with a broken collarbone. At one point during a later battle, Makalov was hit hard enough that his heart stopped beating and for a few minutes, he was classified as dead. And Astrid… Goddess, she had to undergo a minor operation before this all started and with every battle, she's been getting worse; when she was injured during the battle earlier, it ripped open one of her incisions. Calill's been lucky so far but this battle cut a little too close for her." she continued, cutting off his words before they even left his lips. "But then I got the news about Geoffrey and… I was so close to losing him, I didn't want to believe that something like that could happen. I thought by staying neutral we could focus on our own problems and strengthen ourselves but… somehow it made things worse. I just made things worse."

For the Crimean Queen, he was a third party; he was someone she wasn't even supposed to be communicating with, more than likely this would be their last conversation until the end of the war. He was an outlet for her, someone she could speak to without fear that her words were going to make it to the others. And he was perfectly okay with that, if anything he'd encourage it. Her new standing as Queen left her with very few people she could confide in, people who weren't involved with what she was saying. They all needed someone like that… A support beam for troubles like these.

He stepped forward and moved to rest his hands on her slender shoulders, wishing to keep the contact as simple as that but knowing all too well otherwise. It didn't take long before his hands slid free from her shoulders and moved to wrap around her slender form, pulling her in towards him as he buried his fingers in the thin material of her uniform. He couldn't remember the last time he held her like this… so careless, so open, not even giving a damn if someone caught them.

It reminded him of the few times they were together in the Crimean palace, taking advantage of the short open periods between meetings to duck into empty rooms and closets.

"They follow me blindly and I've almost killed them."

Fingers moved to tangle in her hair as he kept her tightly pressed against his chest, feeling the harsh compression of her nails digging into his shoulders. "I know what it's like." he started, keeping his voice low so that it would only remain between the two of them. "I can't tell you how many close calls we've had already, how many times I've been so deathly afraid to return to the field because I was scared that something else was going to happen. You never know when someone's going to get that lucky hit in and just end it all… and I've seen it happen to the people around me; I've seen the reactions, the struggles, the sleepless nights because of the pain… I'm never sure if I can consider myself lucky to have never had to deal with something like that, to never actually have struggled to keep breathing."

Her fingers curled in tightly against him once more as she buried her head in against the curve of his neck; he could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin, feeling it with every soft exhale that escaped her. She had long since passed the point of crying… all she needed was someone to comfort her for a short while.

"I couldn't imagine the things you go through."

"Sometimes I'm never sure if it's better to be on the battlefield or not." he started. "I don't know if it's worse to see the attack happen or if it's worse to simply have to hear about it days later. Either way, there's always the lingering thought that there's absolutely nothing you can do about it and once it reaches a certain point… the situation is completely out of your hands; you just have to hope they can pull through without your help."

"You start to realize how helpless you are when something like that happens, how powerless you are to them; you realize that some things are just out of your control and it's that moment that hurts the worst." she whispered.

He nodded lightly before he brushed his fingers through her bangs and brought his lips to her forehead. "That's why you can't let anything happen to you, my Queen. I don't want to wake up one day and hear that someone has caused you harm."

It didn't take her long before she leaned back and lightly caught his lips against her own. "And the same goes for you as well, my Lord."

It was a lingering touch that he told himself not to fall into; its temptation was deadly, but the slightest brush sparked a wave of memories that were all too powerful to control. His hesitation seemed to lead to his downfall though and he felt himself give in willingly. Any state of neutrality was tossed out as he brought his hands to cup her jawline and pulled her in against him.

They each seemed to share the same level of resistance that crumpled all too easily at the touch, that allowed for them to grasp at one another- eager to make up for the lost time. She still maintained that sweet warmth, that sweet taste that easily flooded his senses with the open embrace. Every parting of the lips drew in just enough air to supply the next embrace before they brought themselves to the brink of suffocation with that one as well. He could hear his heartbeat echoing in his chest, up his throat, pounding in the back of his head and vibrating in his tongue as he moved it against her own; feeling those all too familiar trembles that shook her body in his hands.

Fingernails touched briefly at his jaw before they slid down against his neck, following the thundering pulse of his heart until they rested openly against his chest, eager to find and claim the source.

Those three years had felt like decades and eons before, moving at a faster pace than anyone had been willing to accept. But here… here it felt like they had been just minutes, a blink of the eye since the last time.

He can still remember the sound of her voice echoing in her own bedroom, shifting between whispering and screaming out his name. They used to laugh and try to muffle one another's calls, eventually turning it into a game to see how loud one could get before the other tried to shut them up. He might've been a makeshift General on the field but he still knew when to admit defeat; she always found a way to outrank him and end the game with her own little victory.

Memories were still fresh with the thought of brushing his lips against her cheeks and jaw, moving to her neck and surrendering to her ample chest. And even if they were just memories, he found himself repeating their patterns even now; fingers tempted to combat the snugly-fit uniform once more.

But the palace had been much easier to hide in; their muffled calls were easily masked behind locked doors and thick walls… things that their open camp didn't exactly have at the moment. There were still soldiers who were wake and walking about outside, carrying on small talk to pass the time and ignore the physical pain from the battle before.

But her fingers were already tangled in his shirt, bundling the thin material in her palms as she pressed them against the small of his back.

"We should reconsider our actions." he started, although certain that his words were muffled slightly by the curve of her neck as he pressed his lips against warm flesh.

"I reconsidered them before." she replied as she tilted her head to give him more space. "Then I reconsidered them again."

He had already started to unbutton the front of her overcoat and subtly moved to push the material from her shoulders; feeling his fingertips brush over the smooth flesh underneath. The coat gave away to the near sleeveless tunic underneath, one that gave all the more insight to the beauty of every perfect curve that accented her body. He touched briefly against her right shoulder and felt her skin tremble once more beneath him.

"The others will be distracted long enough."

"I told Lucia I was going to remain in my tent for the remainder of the evening." she whispered, pushing herself up just lightly on her toes to feel the further compression of his lips against her. "Are you certain Mist won't call for you?"

There had been one time before during the Mad King's War where they had let their emotions get too close and rather reckless one evening. He still insisted that she had been the one to initiate the ordeal while she was quick to point fingers right back at him instead. Either way, they had almost been too preoccupied to hear the approaching footsteps and just barely managed to get themselves apart and looking decent before Mist came around the corner.

He moved to only briefly capture her lips against his and feel the lingering sense of warmth on them. "She turned in early for the evening to finish nursing off her cold."

She fell immediately to the brush of his lips and continued to pull his shirt up along his stronger body. "And what about Titania?"

"She's keeping an eye on Oscar for now." he quickly replied as he continued to draw her into shorter and shorter embraces. "Are you certain that Lucia won't figure this out?"

"She promised to keep an eye on the others for the evening." she answered before a light chuckle seemed to free itself from her lips. "And just in case you're worried… if Geoffrey left to speak with Calill, he'll be preoccupied for the rest of the evening as well."

"Then let's stop worrying."

It was his lips against her own, the taste of her tongue in his mouth and the curl of her fingers against his back. Pushing the coat from her shoulders, he moved his hands to her waist and lifted her against his chest; feeling the twist of her legs around his own. Arms wrapped themselves around his neck, reluctant to allow the movement to break their newest embrace. He carried her the few steps back towards his cot and tried to lay her down gently against the thin mattress, only to misjudge their combined weight and ended up having the both of them tumble downward instead. The cot shifted and braced underneath the sudden force, causing for their lips to break apart with a shared bit of laughter.

"It's not exactly the best place to seduce a Queen." he remarked, fingers brushing aside the thick locks that framed her face before they moved to settle against her jawline.

"Nor is it the best place to spend the night with a Lord." she replied as she moved to toy with his dark headband; running her fingertips along its frayed edges before she pulled it down over his eyes. "But I don't hear either of us complaining… unless there's something you want to say."

"Not a word."

She bore that smile of hers once more before she pulled him down against her.

Fingers skirted themselves down his chest, tangling in the folds of his shirt before she tugged it up against his body again. Slipping underneath the thin material, she pressed her hands against his warm skin, feeling the heavy contours that roamed beneath her fingertips. Three years of a disappearing act had certainly added mass to his once thin frame; he was broader and filled out the spaces of her palms. She wasn't going to hide the fact that the greater curves of his shoulders and arms had gained her attention first, followed shortly by the added thickness of his jawline. His outfit was fitted a bit tighter now to accommodate the added muscle and she was more than eager to see him out of it.

He seemed to match her same kind of enthusiasm though as she felt the warmth of his fingers push against her tunic, feeling the heat of his presence through her stockings.

It was article by article being stripped off by eager fingers, revealing the flesh underneath that seemed to beg and await ample touches. Her gloves were the next to be tossed and were followed by the wrinkling material of her tunic being pulled away from her body. She tangled her fingers in his shirt once more and successfully managed to peel it away from his form just the same, allowing for their contrasting uniforms to be tossed over opposite sides of the cot. She chuckled against his lips as she felt the touch of his hands against her ribcage, fitting his fingers around the soft curve of her ribs.

Soon enough, it was just skin against skin; her breath breaking and merging with his own as their lips touched again and again, leading from one embrace immediately into the next. Three years held a lot to catch up on and even if they just had one night to do so… it was one night more than what they had before. And yet, it still felt like no passage of time had left them. She still knew every contour of his body while he could follow her curves blindly.

His lips still belonged against her skin, creating paths down along her body; pressing against her chest, down her stomach to her hips, brushing the inside of her thighs. Fingernails still ran over the back of his neck, curving over his shoulders and down his back- careful this time to barely leave an impression against his skin.

The lingering hit of smoke and wildflowers mixed into the air around them only helped to reawaken those memories from before; the first time they tangled sheets with one another and every occasion that followed afterwards… That time had been made of stumbling fingertips, nervous lips, brief hesitation and overactive bodies. But this… this was refined, this was putting emotions into the best physical form it could muster; it was the same feelings three years before, they weren't going to change… they were certain of that.

It was difficult to keep quiet as her legs moved around his hips while his hands pushed into the space beneath her body.

Her back arched upward towards him, pressing her chest against his own as their bodies moved in near perfect synch with one anothers; they had somewhat perfected the motion to require the lowest amount of reaction from the cot beneath them. Lips had to claim one another once more to keep their voices from being heard- something she rather missed from the privacy of her bedroom, but she wasn't going to complain. It was aching motions that begged for a cure for the overwhelming lust that strengthen the nerves in their skin and made them all the more receptive to every touch and stroke. Her body felt as though it was withering in his grasp as he gave into her needs again and again, never once hesitating to satisfy her.

Sweat-laced bodies gasped for heated air when it was over; fingertips and limbs trembling briefly as the upset rush of emotions and ecstasy continued to suffocate in their bloodstream.

The cot gave into one final squeak as he slowly moved down to rest against his forearms, pressing his forehead against her own. Numb fingers traced the shape of his jaw before quiet palms moved to cup against his cheeks, pulling him in a little closer to her.

Tired lips managed a soft smile before they moved slowly to his own.

* * *

The sound of morning birds outside slowly broke through his consciousness and drew him out of his state of sleep. A low groan passed from his lips as he shifted slightly to take the weight off his shoulder and moved one hand to cover his face; attempting to weakly rub the sleep from his eyes. Stifling a short yawn, he managed to crack one eye open and glanced around the barely lit tent space in front of him. A lantern from the night before was barely staying lit but still managed to cast a small halo of light around it; bringing a soft glow to the tent as the dawn sky outside remained dark. He turned his head slightly and buried his face into the thin pillow beneath him, toying with catching at least an hour more of rest or getting up to attend to his early duties. The slight ache in his muscles was tempting him to sleep instead.

But a matching groan behind him seemed to tilt his decision into another direction.

Her warm breath escaped into the curve of his shoulder as she promptly rested her weight against his back; her head nestling against the back of his neck while fingertips knitted themselves over his abdomen. He could still feel the compression of her breasts against his back, the entanglement of their legs with one another's all while being tied with the sheets just the same.

Of course…

"Good morning." she whispered, her voice slightly husky from sleep and muffled against his skin.

A low chuckle escaped him as he moved to push aside some of the tangled strands that collapsed into his face. "Good morning to you as well, Your Majesty."

Her fingers moved apart as her arms stretched out around him before they slowly moved to settle against the mattress beneath them. Pushing herself up, it was a mess of tumbling, green locks that fell around her shoulders and managed to keep her naked breasts mostly concealed. "What time is it?"

"If I had to make a guess… just before dawn." he replied, stifling another yawn before he slowly moved over onto his back; one arm tiredly falling off the edge of the cot.

"That means we'll be separating today." she spoke, her expression falling slightly before it was quickly replaced with one of more urgency. "Oh no, some of the others might already be up."

It didn't take long for her words to sink in. "Shit." he cursed, perhaps using a more urgent language that a woman in her position didn't have the courtesy of using. It was a fumbling act as they both tried to get up off the cot at the same time, not taking appropriate measures to first release themselves from each other.

She chuckled lightly at the predicament as she tried to free herself from the tightly bound sheets and pull her legs from the space between his own. "We shouldn't be so loud, we might draw attention to ourselves."

"If we do, then we lie like no tomorrow." he remarked, catching himself smiling at her continuous giggles that she was trying to mask. He leaned in and caught her lips against his own as he managed to peel the sheets completely off of them and threw them over the side of the cot.

"Not now, I'll be tempted to stay." she whispered although she pulled him in for one more shared embrace before she threw her legs over the side of the cot and got to her feet. "Now hurry, hurry."

At any other time, he probably would've laughed at her urgency as he watched her retrieve the different pieces of her uniform and slip them on in their appropriate order. But… right now, this kind of engagement was probably not the best idea on their part. War was plaguing the countries around them. She was trying to hold strong within her own boundaries while he was running about leading battles without hesitation, hoping that it would make a difference by the end of it. It was pushing enough that their forces were sharing a camp with one another, the last thing they needed was word getting out about the Crimean Queen having an affair with a leader within the Laguz Alliance; that in itself would just lead to more difficulties. Not to mention, she was a Queen and he wasn't exactly royalty.

Not to mention, he was certain Geoffrey would have his head for this one if he found out.

Pushing himself to his feet, he quickly gathered the different articles of his uniform and slipped into them as quickly as he could without falling somehow. He slipped on his shirt last before he tied the red cape around his neck; strapping on the leather chest piece and armor that decked one shoulder last. He looked around for his headband only to find it missing from his sight somehow.

"You can't forget this." she spoke, drawing his attention back to her as she held the dark material in one hand.

"Where would I be without it?" he teased as he took it from her hand and moved to tie it back in place. "I'm gonna head out first and make sure there's no one around."

"I'll sneak out sometime after." she nodded.

He gave a responding nod and, after checking over his uniform to make sure everything was in place, stepped out into the open camp. The dawn brought in a chilling breeze and kept the sun just barely below the horizon to keep the skies dark all around them; a few lanterns continued to burn but their faint halos of light were of little offer against the darkness. He took in a deep breath and felt the cool air seemingly flutter inside of his chest for a moment. No one was even up yet… he should've figured everyone might've taken at least ten or more minutes of sleep to get over the battle from yesterday.

"You don't have to sneak out."

It seemed to take a few moments before her head peeked out from inside the tent. "Are you certain?"

"It's a dead zone out here." he assured. "Actually that was a bad phrase to use."

She stepped out with a moment of hesitation before relaxing as the sight of the empty campsite seemed to assure her otherwise. "Well then… I guess there was no rush." she remarked with a light chuckle. "Now what?"

He gave a light shrug and moved his hands to his waist. "I don't know. I guess we wait for the others to get up."

Shaking her head, she stepped past him and moved down the center of the camp; moving at her own, slow pace. Despite having fitted into her uniform under a time restraint, she still managed to make the clothing look flawless; it was hard to tell she had rushed into them in about fifteen seconds. "I can't remember the last time I saw a scene like this… probably back when I was still a Princess, when we were running around all of Tellius together."

"It feels like it's been a decade since those times."

"Sometimes it's hard to believe they existed in the first place…" she started as she moved to cross her arms. "It feels like we just got out of one war only to enter into another."

"It's difficult to understand why things like this keep happening but… if someone doesn't keep fighting, we're practically giving ourselves to the worst of two evils." he remarked. "I can't let that happen and I can't stand aside and watch friends and allies alike go into a battle without myself at their sides."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking for you to defend your position in this war." she spoke. "People need you out on the field more than I need you to be somewhere safe."

"You're more understanding than I thought."

"I think it'd be different if we had gotten married." she teased as one hand moved to toy with some of her loose locks, twirling them around her fingers. "Even then though, I don't think I'd try to stop you from doing what you need to do."

"Hey, who knows, maybe when this war is done with and we can count on it being the last one…" he started.

"Don't say anything you can't keep your word to." she replied, glancing over her shoulder with a short chuckle.

"And who says I can't keep my word to it?"

She turned back to him and shared another one of those smiles. "I don't know… I always thought you had a wandering spirit and I would never attempt to tame it."

He chuckled briefly with her before he moved to close the distance between them, hands moving to take her own. "Well, I'm not going to try and fight that statement but… I would settle down if given the chance to do so with you."

She tightened her hands in his grip before she pulled them towards her, resting them against the flat of her sternum. "Well, we've pretty much already taken the white out of our wedding sheets, by any and all stories, we're technically unsuitable for any other partners."

"Well, perhaps if you hadn't been so initiative-"

"Oh don't start that argument." she interrupted with a short chuckle. "I was an innocent Princess who had grown up in a quiet, countryside house; you were the one raised by Mercenaries."

"… You make a damning point, but it's always the innocent ones who are the worse."

"Oh please."

He gave a brief shake of his head before a spot of movement to his left caught his attention. He was quick to drop the contact of their hands, which drew a look of disappointment from her before she noticed the same movement. She briefly cleared her throat and took a subtle step back to add a bit more distance between them, hoping to make the engagement seem more professional than it had been before.

It wasn't long before the movement finally revealed a figure and when it did, he probably could've cursed the man for wasting his time.

"You two are up early." Boyd remarked as he gave into a hearty stretch, listening to the loud crack that followed in response.

He guessed they might've seemed out of place since the both of them were completely dressed while his green-haired friend had barely slipped into his pants and a white, sleeveless shirt; his belt remained unbuckled around his waist. "So are you."

"Yeah, I figured if I got up early enough I'd go take a dip in the river before we had to start packing things up." the man shrugged, one hand moving through his uncoordinated green strands. "And if I get back in time, I'm going to throw a bucket of water on Oscar while he's still asleep."

"I see nothing has changed." Elincia chuckled.

"Change is too expensive, it's easier to just keep things as they are." Boyd remarked as he made his way across the camp. "I'll see you guys in a bit, don't do anything Titania wouldn't want you doing."

She waited until the man was well out of range before she briefly whispered. "Too late for that."

"Not out here." he whispered in response.

She spared him one more smile and moved to rest her hands on his chest. "… It's difficult to think that within a few hours, I won't have the luxury of being so close to you anymore."

"But I will see you at the end of this." he assured, one hand moving to brush through her hair. "I can promise you that."


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for the rest of the camp to wake up, although the others were a bit slower to greet the morning this time around. They tried to play it safe by keeping a good amount of distance between one another, trying to distract themselves with other duties but… he always found himself standing next to her once more. At this point, he supposed it didn't matter what they talked about, as long as they could talk again and again, hoping to delay their inevitable departure for a few moments longer.

"I wish we could stay longer." Mist spoke as she fiddled briefly with a few loose items in her bag before she hoisted the strap over her shoulder; securing the sides of it while it dangled at her waist.

"Oh, believe me, I wish we could too." Elincia replied with a short smile before she moved to help the girl brush a few tangled blonde strands from her face. "But Lord Ike here has already promised that we'll see each other at the end of this, so we'll have more time in the future to sit around and visit."

He chuckled lightly to himself at the scene and watched as the Crimean Queen helped the younger girl finish packing the rest of her medical supplies. Mist had always been positive about Elincia almost since day one; often times scolding him when he didn't speak or act properly around the woman. Despite being the hidden, Crimean Princess, she always found time between traveling to run around and help Mist with chores or different duties; laughing and never minding the art of collecting water or helping with the cooking. It had been an odd time back then but now… it seemed even odder, almost as if those times before didn't exist. And yet sometimes, it was almost as if they never left.

"Yeah I bet you did promise her that." Boyd remarked, as he seemingly managed to appear at his side- almost as if he just stepped out of thin air to do so.

"Boyd-" Ike started, digging his elbow into the underside of the man's ribcage.

"I'm just saying." the green-haired man chuckled as he stepped out of his range before he started to walk away; barely managing to turn in one direction before he walked face first into the hand of his older brother. The collision was almost comedic as his head snapped back briefly while the older man continued walking by without so much as hesitating. "Ah! Oscar, you douche."

"That's for the nice bucket of water this morning." he replied.

"Oh come on, get a sense of humor." Boyd retorted, rubbing at his forehead as he turned to watch the older man simply carry on about his business. "Wow, you drop one bucket of water on him and suddenly you're the worst thing that could happen to this world."

He took a moment in thought and briefly recalled the man's words earlier that morning. "I thought you were just kidding." Ike remarked.

"Seriously? When do I ever joke about funny pranks like that?"

He paused once more before he simply shook his head. "Why do I even question these things anymore?"

"You would think you would've learned at this point." he replied before he moved to cross his arms. "So, what's on the agenda for today? More traveling, more fighting… getting closer to the Crimean Queen, sharing a tent with her-"

The words caught him off-guard and sent a chilling reaction down his spine. "Excuse me?!" he interrupted, perhaps questioning too sharply or too quickly; hoping no one else might've overheard the man.

The Warrior only seemed to laugh at him and clapped a hand against his back. "Jeez, calm down, you've been too uptight these past few days, it was a joke. Goddess, you're becoming like Oscar now and days."

"I can still hear you!"

"See? Talk about uptight." Boyd remarked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I… have to go shove Rolf into something before we get on the road or else he'll start letting his defense down."

He practically let out a sigh of relief when the man walked off and moved to briefly cup his face in his hands. This morning was stressful enough, the last thing he needed was someone stating a joke like that… although part of him questioned whether or not the man was really even joking in the first place. Shaking his head, he moved to step away for a moment, figuring he could probably lend his assistance elsewhere instead of just standing around.

It seemed like every time they stopped for the night and picked things back up in the morning, there was just too much stuff to repack. And yet, when they needed their supplies, it was like there wasn't enough of it. It just turned into an ever repeating cycle that left him wishing he could just simply stop nit-picking at things. At least the tents were coming down easily enough this time, so there were no complaints there…

"Ah!"

"Hey whoa, you gotta keep the ropes straight when you pull them out!"

On second thought, maybe the tents weren't being as easy as he thought. From the sounds of it… someone got hit in the eye. Again.

He tried to keep himself busy by helping Mordecai and Gatrie lift some of the heavier boxes back into the wagons; going back to the previous observation that perhaps they were carrying a bit too heavy. At least they were making decent enough progress though as more than half of the camp was already pulled down and packed away. The rest seemed to just be loose supplies for now, which could all be taken care of by the end of the hour. That would put them ahead of schedule, but… knowing their luck, they were going to run into some kind of problem later on down the road.

And the sight of the red-haired Paladin walking towards him seemed to announce that a problem had jumped ahead and gotten an early start instead.

"Ranulf's back from Gallia." Titania announced. "Based on his expression, I don't think he has good news for us."

"Great, could this day go downhill any faster?" Gatrie groaned, moving one hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.

He might've seconded that remark but… well his day had been great so far. "I'll go see what he has to say." he nodded, leaving the wagons behind him for now as he hurried across the camp. Hopefully it wasn't news from Gallia, hopefully nothing had gone wrong so far… the last thing they needed right now was something else to get in their way. He tried to look on the bright side of it though, if Ranulf was able to make it back to here in a short amount of time then there couldn't have been many obstacles in his path. At least, that was what he was hoping for.

The blue-haired Cat Laguz seemed to be stretching idly as he made his way into the camp, stopping briefly to help Mia and Nephenee with a tumbling box.

"Ranulf, it's about time. Running a little slow today?" Ike remarked.

"Ha, please… actually I did hurt my leg on the way over." the Laguz replied as he moved to run his fingers through his hair. "Looks like you guys have got a busy morning going on…" he paused for a moment as a slightly questioning look took over. "Why do you smell so weird?"

"You're not exactly a bundle of flowers yourself." he retorted, crossing his arms. The remark was strange but then again, so was the expression the man continued to carry.

"Hey, I just took a run through a field, I should be smelling like wildflowers about now." Ranulf spoke, one ear twitching back slightly at the continuous sounds that flooded the campsite around him. A familiar voice seemed to catch his attention from time to time but he didn't pay much attention to it. "Anyways, I've got some new strategies and movements from Prince Skrimir; if you've got a few maps still sitting around and not packed, I can mark them out for you. We'll want to stay in close proximity just in case but… I think you'll do fine without the extra men hanging around."

He nodded briefly at the words. "Alright, I should be able to get a map from somewhere around here, if not, Soren will know what you're talking about and be able to map it out later on. We're still regrouping at the last point we discussed, right?"

"Uh… actually no." Ranulf answered. "Prince Skrimir's forces ran into some Begnion regiments and have been fighting them back for a few days now. I have a feeling it's a distractive force though… there's a good chance they've changed their direction."

"Shit." he muttered, moving one hand to press against his temple for a moment. "Alright, well any idea where-" he stopped slightly as he noted the blue-haired Laguz seemed distracted by something else beyond him; it was occasionally noted that the Cat, while attentive, could lose his concentration with something as simple as a light glare.

"Is that Queen Elincia?"

The question came as a complete break to their previous conversation and for a moment, he was at a loss for a response. And then it hit him that… he didn't necessarily inform the rest of the Alliance about their momentary bunk with the Royal Knights; it wasn't something that would go against them though- as long as Begnion forces didn't find out, in which case they'd place blame against the entire Alliance.

The Cat didn't seem to bother all that much until his expression went completely still, erasing the previous look of questioning. Unfortunately the blank look didn't stay- instead it was replaced by an a seemingly, all knowing grin.

"Oooh."

The sheer playful tone of the single, drawn out syllable was all it took to snap the situation back together.

"Don't even." he warned.

"Well… that would certainly explain the different scent." the Laguz spoke regardless. "I didn't know the Queen made house calls."

He knew the man was just joking but still couldn't help but to feel just the slightest bit defensive about it. "We ended up in battle yesterday." Ike started. "It's a complicated mess. Long story short, a Begnion regiment ambushed the Royal Knights and we weren't just going to stand by and let it happen. Crimea is neutral in this war but apparently Begnion's been abusing that claim and has been attacking several Crimean cities throughout these past few weeks… They nearly lost half of their soldiers from that battle alone, they've been taking a beating for weeks; we understand this alone could break the claim of neutrality if Begnion found out, but we decided to take that risk. "

"Hey… I'm not going to judge and I'm not going to say you did something wrong; you were looking out for them, that's all that matters." Ranulf replied, moving one hand to rest on his shoulder. "But don't think for a moment that I don't think you also did it for the Queen herself."

"This conversation is getting out of hand."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me- for now."

He gave a brief roll of his eyes and tried to turn back to what was important here, but the sound of a brief shriek overhead interrupted him. Ulki and Janaff had taken off that morning to get an overview of the surrounding area, although their keen sense of sight and hearing could've easily alerted them of anything within miles of their radius. The lighter-colored of the two dropped down quickly, shifting easily from one form into the other just before he landed.

"We've got Begnion forces cutting our way." Janaff started.

"They're still a few hours off course but we're certain to cross paths with them." Ulki added.

Okay, so he was wrong before… the day could get worse.

At least they still had a few hours though right? "Any ideas if they sent a force or any kind of spy ahead of them?" he questioned.

"Nothing we saw or heard."

"Alright, I trust then that we'll be fine for those few hours then." Ike nodded. "We're almost done packing up here, we'll be on the road by the end of the hour. That should give us enough time to get some ground going and cut off the unit. We'll have to meet up with Prince Skrimir at another time."

"Oh don't worry, the big guy isn't going anywhere fast." Ranulf assured.

"Can I get you two to keep an eye in the sky for us?" he requested, watching as the two Hawks nodded before they kicked back into the air. "I… I have to inform Titania about this- and Geoffrey too. I think we'll be fine, but I don't want to risk anything."

"You're worried."

He pushed off the remark and started back across the camp, the lack of blinding tents made it easier to see from one end to the next; making it easier to locate the paladin knight. Weaving his way through the remaining boxes, he tried to keep a moderate pace to keep from looking as though he was panicking. He really wasn't, but the prospect of Begnion being somewhat close to them in this kind of complicated mess made him a bit on edge; he didn't want to risk putting the Royal Knights in a bad spot.

"Titania." he called, catching the woman right as she was strapping a few poleaxes to the side of her saddle.

"Something wrong?" she questioned as she moved to secure the leather strap holding the weapons in place.

"We've got Begnion forces cutting this way; they're still a few hours off but we need to brace ourselves for a possible battle." he started.

The woman nodded briefly, not seeming the least bit phased by the news. "I understand. We're almost through packing here, so I'll speak with the others as soon as it's done and make sure they get what they need in order."

"Thanks, I'm going to inform the Royal Knights about the movement and make sure they have enough time to get back to Crimea." he remarked with a brief sigh, moving one hand through his hair. "It's not something to worry about, but I'm doing it anyways."

"Well, worrying isn't always a bad thing." Titania spoke as she turned back to him. "It just means you're looking ahead for everyone's sake."

"Or you're just a worry wart." Ranulf added.

"You're not helping."

"Never said I was going to."

Shaking his head, he continued on across the camp and unfortunately heard the sound of the Cat following close after him. It was almost embarrassing to admit that while their team was almost three times the size with less wounded… their camp was still in disarray while the half that belonged to the Royal Knights was already put away and arranged on their own wagons. He spotted Marcia and Kieran tending to their mounts and judging by their rather loud voices, they were arguing over something; at least they weren't put off by the ongoing situation- then again, with their personalities… it'd be hard to.

"Goddess, Kieran, you're such a butt."

"What charming language."

And then there was Astrid and Makalov sitting by some of the wagons. From what he could tell, the Archer seemed better looking that morning and had managed a brief laugh or two at her husband's expense. He didn't really know them all that well and didn't have a lot of interaction with them, but he always thought they made a rather… odd-looking couple. But they seemed happy so that had to have meant something. Still, Elincia's words the night before kept in the back of his head as he watched Danved walk over to further entertain the wounded woman. At least they were pulling together to keep each other's spirits high.

Calill and Elincia herself were momentarily resting and seemed to be having a delightful conversation with one another. The blonde-haired woman was sporting a few more bandages on her left arm but didn't seem to be held down by them. He had managed to catch the eye of the Crimean Queen regardless though and watched as she smiled lightly in his direction before she seemingly blushed and looked away.

"Don't think I didn't see that." Ranulf remarked.

Oh Goddess, he had already forgotten the man was following him.

Shaking his head, he chose not to reply and made his way over to where the two blue-haired siblings were standing. At first it seemed like they were sharing their own conversation but upon drawing closer he noted that the woman was tending to the scar that carved down his left forearm.

"You know this only works with open injuries, right?"

"Yes and if you haven't noticed, your injuries haven't exactly healed properly." she replied as she carefully covered the scar tissue with a clear-looking ointment. "It'll help keep the tissue clean until you stop stressing it. "

"Then I don't see it working any time soon."

He thought he heard a brief whistle come from the Laguz following behind him but decided to ignore it for now. "Looks like you guys got ready and packed pretty quick."

Lucia glanced over at the remark and chuckled briefly before she returned to what she was previously doing. "Yeah, we've gotten use to the motion so many times, it was like clockwork getting it all done. We didn't pack all that much anyways so that made it a lot easier on our part. It'd be best if we got back to the capital as soon as possible."

"That'd probably be the best plan of action." he nodded as he moved to cross his arms once more. "Janaff and Ulki just got back and reported that Begnion forces are cutting their way into this direction. They're still a few hours away so we still have plenty of time to put some distance between us."

"Can't say that this surprises me." Geoffrey started, pulling his arm free from her hold. "They've been on the move constantly for these past few months."

"At least we have Queen Elincia with us in some off-chance a Begnion regiment made it to the capital overnight." Lucia remarked, slightly irritated her brother wouldn't allow her to finish treating the rest of his scars; the Glasgow scar on his face needed to be treated but he wouldn't even let her get close to it. "That means we should probably hit the road then."

"Sounds like it."

There weren't any real formal goodbyes.

They were still handling the few scattered portions of their camp while the Royal Knights were already mounting up and preparing for their departure. He passed on his hopes for better luck and they gave him the same word in response, although remarking lightly enough that he probably wouldn't need it. As much as he would've loved to hold her one more time, just feel her in his arms… he kept the temptation restrained and limited to an assuring smile instead.

"Be careful out there… I don't want to have to keep coming back and saving you." Ike teased, looking up to where she was already seated in the leather saddle of her Pegasus. She looked absolutely celestial sitting atop the winged mount that kicked lightly and shook its head during their conversation.

"Well you don't see me complaining." Elincia replied as she lightly twisted the leather reigns in her hands; she glanced off for a moment before she slowly returned to him. "We'll see each other again, My Lord."

"Indeed we will, My Queen."

And just like that… she was leaving, she was gone… soon to be out of his sight.

He had missed her for three years and yet, never had he experienced this kind of physical pain during that time frame. All it took was a few crossed paths, a few words and… he was spiraling back into her all over again. He had never left but Goddess, sometimes it felt like he did. A heavy sigh escaped him as he moved to tighten his arms against his chest. Why was this so difficult? Maybe because he did have his doubts on whether or not they would see each other at the end of this war; it wasn't like there was a reason for it, it wasn't like he was planning on dying or thought that such fate would cross her path…

A heavy hand landing against his shoulder seemed to break him from his thoughts.

"She'll be fine." Ranulf assured. "You'll see her at the end of this and who knows, you might get married, have a few kids-"

He lightly struck the man in the chest and moved to head back to the camp. "I already have to deal with Boyd on a daily basis, I don't need to add you to the list."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, for some reason I had intended to leave the story off with that last chapter but after re-reading it myself... I realized it didn't really end anything. **

He kept himself distracted with the ongoing war around them, using each and every battle to push her from his thoughts. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Occasionally when he was in a meeting with Soren and Titania discussing new battle plans, he found himself drifting back to her; his hand rubbing the side of his neck where her lips had once conquered. The motion was sometimes too repetitive though and when Titania questioned if he had strained a muscle he had to quickly think of another answer to give.

But as the war itself began to turn and became almost erratic, it was easier to become lost in each battle. It felt like each side was beginning to lose their grip, making each battle more dangerous than the last. They had been lucky to get through each one as well as they did and he was thankful to walk off the field with everyone still in good health.

Their luck was bound to run out though.

And when it did… it wasn't confined to just them.

He remembered the stillness of the air that greeted him when he stepped outside; remembering that just minutes ago there had been a chilling breeze that had been following them all morning. But this… it felt like everything had just stopped.

He remembered the white figures who stood in the midst of movement; their skin had been turned to stone, leaving soldiers looking more like decorations instead of once functioning beings. The sight itself frightened him and he was so certain he was going to lose his mind in that one moment. Just the thought of suddenly becoming one of few people still alive in this world…

But they had somehow managed to avoid the strike, somehow managing to keep their skin.

Even with everyone in shock and confused about the situation, he had to keep his head and take lead; he had to keep everyone together and make sure they didn't all lose themselves in this mess. It wasn't easy to carry on that illusion but he did his best and it seemed to work just enough to keep everyone calm.

The strike hinted at something far more powerful and far deadlier than what they had been fooling themselves with. Differences were dropped right then and there; regiments and units from different countries and different sides were pulled together. It was odd to stand on one end of the battlefield from someone one moment and then … be standing next to them a second later, speaking as though nothing before had even happened.

"Commander Ike."

He broke from his train of thoughts at the voice and turned to see who it was. It seemed like most people around the camp had been preferring to keep to themselves for now, almost as if afraid of breaking the silence that was engulfing them. He had shared in that fear just the same before realizing that there was no one else out there who would object to such a thing.

At any other time, the sight would've filled him with frustration and disappointment, but this time... he felt relief.

"Sothe." he started, although unsure of what to say next. They had practically been fighting neck to neck with one another ever since they crossed opposing paths. He had once been just a small refugee on their ship and now... he was a talented fighter who spared no blood. It had always been disappointing to see him on the other side of the field though and while he understood his reasons, it didn't make it any easier. "It's been awhile."

The man, who from a distance could look stone-cold and emotionless, now looked almost nervous. It was probably just the given situation and the sudden spin that their forces now needed to work arm in arm instead of fighting with one another. There were a lot of trust issues they would need to confront but until then... it was nerves and uncertainty of what to say next. "Yeah, it has been."

He gave into a brief chuckle to try and break the tense mood though and pushed his fingers through his unruly hair. "I've got to hand it to you, the Dawn Brigade has certainly gotten stronger since the last time we fought. You were actually kind of making me nervous there right at the end." Ike remarked. "Either way you look at it now though… I'm glad we're on the same side again; we could always use more fighters like the Dawn Brigade."

"That's good to hear." Sothe replied before he gave into a brief chuckle himself. "You have to give Edward a kick every now and again though just to get him to train."

"Can't say he's the only one, even after all these years, I still have to punch Boyd around to do the same."

"Hey, Ike!"

Another call interrupted their light conversation and he turned in time to see the Cat Laguz practically springing towards him. He could only judge by the somewhat tense expression he was carrying that news couldn't have been good… not that he thought it could get any worse that this. At this point, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know what it was.

"Ranulf, what is it?" Ike started as soon as the man drew in closer.

The touch of the Cat's hands against his shoulders only seemed to make matters worse; his fingers pressing every so slightly into his skin.

"Alright look, I'm not going to skip around this topic. I don't know how they got here or how they found us, but…" the man seemed to take a dramatic pause before he continued. "The Royal Knights are here."

He swore he thought his heart was in his throat by the time the man finished his sentence… and even then, it took a moment for the full sentence to click before everything dropped back into place. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he remarked, releasing a harsh exhale before he pushed the man aside; fingers going to pinch the space between his eyes. "I thought you were going to say that the Goddess herself showed up to personally destroy us all."

"Nah, I thought I'd get a better response with the Royal Knights." Ranulf replied with a light chuckle. "But in all seriousness, they just arrived so you might want to greet them and get them in on the plan."

Plan was a gracious word to use… they were still working out the details on it and he was still unsure about the whole thing.

Shaking his head, he brushed the Laguz aside once more and started across the small camp they had set up for now. He knew they would have to put a plan into action immediately but right now… they were taking care of some of the wounded and they were still in shock about the whole ordeal. Not to mention again, not all that long ago they were trying to kill one another so... that provided some minor conflict; it was kind of hard to relax and heal with the person who injured you was in the next tent over.

At least seeing some old faces would help; he could really use Geoffrey's insight on the situation.

He knew Ranulf had told him about the Royal Knights and even recognized that… but actually seeing them was a completely different thing. It felt like a huge weight was removed from his shoulders now that he knew they were all fine; that they all survived… _this_, whatever it was.

And right at the front of them… was the Crimean Queen.

He was certain his heart stopped at the sight.

"Look, just because it's the end of the world kind of thing, doesn't mean you can act reckless-" Ranulf had started, following close behind him.

"I'm not listening to you." he interrupted as he continued on towards the dismounting group.

Her feet barely touched the ground before she was making her way towards him, caught somewhere between controlling her pace and wanting to just run straight through the distance between them. She lost control though and chose to run instead.

His arms couldn't catch her quick enough, they couldn't bring her in close to him quick enough.

Goddess, what he wouldn't give to just spin her around a few times, just to feel the weight of her against him one more time. He wanted to get lost in the those green locks, he wanted to kiss her and keep her from having to be caught in this mess. But the situation wasn't exactly on their side right now, not that it had ever been… but this was better than nothing.

"I'm glad you're okay." Elincia whispered, fingers digging themselves into his back as she buried herself into the curve of his shoulder. "I was so worried something happened to you."

"I was worried just the same." he nodded, feeling as though he was almost crushing her fragile form between his arms. He kept his hold on her for as long as he could and only let go when she pulled away. "Are you okay? How have things been?"

"Getting better." Elincia replied with a following nod; she carefully drug the tip of her finger underneath one eye to try and mask the eager tears that shimmered there. She couldn't describe the amount of relief that was coursing through her at this moment. It was hard to condense it all into just a simple embrace with him. "I think we finally managed to get things under control before this happened… whatever this is."

"I guess that's good news." he chuckled briefly as he tucked aside a loose lock of green hair before he glanced up to see the blue-haired Swordswoman approaching the both of them. "Lady Lucia… it's good to see you guys made it here okay."

She gave a tired smile and nodded. "It was a decently easy run, we weren't all that far from here anyways. How are things here? I see you've got pretty much everyone else here with you."

"It was a complicated situation to be dropped into but… we've managed this far." he answered. "We were waiting for your regiment to join us before we made anything concrete, now that you're here though, we can get things started." he paused briefly before he looked past her to where the rest of the Knights were, noting that Kieran and Marcia were tying their mounts to a nearby tree while Makalov and Astrid were busy unloading a few things from their saddles; Danved and Calill were busy speaking with Nephenee who had walked over to greet them. But… those were the only ones he could see. "Where's Geoffrey?"

The woman had pulled herself into a brief stretch before her fingers moved to pinch the space between her eyes. She looked tired but nowhere near as exhausted as they had been before; if anything, it looked to be from a momentary lack of sleep rather than worry and pain.

"Geoffrey isn't with us." Lucia answered.

He felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach at the four words, which paired with her slightly beaten physique, didn't spell out any good news.

"What?" was the only thing he managed to breathe out.

It seemed to take him questioning her words before she realized what she had said. "Oh, no, no, that's not what I meant." she quickly backpedaled, holding one hand out as though in hopes to stop her words from doing further damage. "He decided to stay back in Crimea while the rest of us went forward; he said he needed to keep an eye on the capital. I… should've worded myself more carefully, I apologize; I didn't mean to give you the wrong idea."

"No, it's… it's fine." he assured with an easy sigh of relief, fingers moving to pinch the space between his eyes. "I think with everything that's happened these past few days, counting this incident and then… this stunt Ranulf pulled on me earlier, I just… I'm a little jumpy that's all. I misunderstood your words and immediately thought of the worse thing."

"Believe me, I think we're all a little on edge right now." Ranulf remarked as he moved to cross his arms. "It's good to see Crimea's in one piece… at least this puts our numbers in a good standing. Although with what we're actually standing against… good luck to us all."

"Hey, at least you're an optimist, right?" Ike replied.

"Sometimes I question myself about it."

Yeah, he had a feeling they were all questioning their involvement in this, it was increasingly difficult not to.

"Alright well then… let's not waste time- we don't have a lot of it left after all." he nodded before he ushered for the Knights to follow him. "Let's see what we can do about this."

At any other time, they would've had a tent set up and had the leader of every regiment present… but this time called for a different arrangement. It was chilling outside with the occasional flake of snow falling onto their shoulders as they stood side to side. They all shared the same look of stilling fear and the same look of trying to mask it. These were the same soldiers who had fought in the Mad King's War, the same ones who had seen their homelands brutalized and seen families torn apart; the same ones who were fighting to be brave for one another and yet all terrified just the same. Some of them were doing better than others, then again it almost appeared that it was an easier battle for them. He was certain that Titania had yet to even blink at the situation, it was almost as if she didn't think anything else of it… as if things could've been worse but weren't. He was glad for it; it helped keep himself in line and helped keep him to a standard just as well.

If she could be this straightforward with her calmness… then so could he.

After different discussions and a few arguments, a decision was made and settled on.

They would be separating their forces into three groups, they would move into different directions and work their way towards the Tower of Guidance. They would confront Ashera at that point…

In any other situation, he would've thought this whole ordeal to be insane and not even given it a second of his time. But now… they didn't have a choice; they didn't have anywhere else to go from here, they didn't have anything else to believe. They were trapped and stuck with one way in and one way out.

He was taking the Greil's Mercenaries with the additions of Queen Nailah, Prince Rafiel, Prince Kurthnaga and Lady Ena.

Queen Elincia would be taking the Royal Knights along with King Tibarn, Ranulf, Ulki, Janaff, and Prince Reyson.

Micaiah and Sothe would be taking the Dawn Brigade, as well as Prince Skirmir, Lady Sigrun, Lady Tanith, Apostle Sanaki, Princess Leanne and King Naesala.

"It appears as though… we'll be separating once more." Elincia spoke as their respective units began to pull away; sparing a few last farewells to those around them. Her fingers shook briefly as they moved to brush aside a loose lock of hair and tuck it behind her ear. "Will you still see me at the end of this?"

"I promised I would and it's not the end yet." Ike replied. "I will see you and… you won't have to worry about losing me again."

For a moment, any sense of nervousness seemed to ease away. "I'll be looking forward to it."

"Are you ready for yet another trip, Your Majesty?" Lucia called as she finished retying one of her bags to the saddle of her mount before she walked over to where they stood.

"Lucia, please." Elincia started as she waited for the woman to join them before she lightly smacked her hand against the woman's arm.

The Swordswoman leaned away from her and chuckled in response. "I'll take that as a yes then and be on my way."

She gave into her own sigh before she looked back to him; the corners of her lips trying to smile as best she could. "At the end of this."

"Yes." he nodded in assurance. "And then… anything."

"It sounds lovely."

"I would hope so."

And just like that, he watched as she turned and moved away from him once more; every step carrying her further and further away until she became seemingly lost in the moving crowd of her own unit. He gave a light shake of his head and moved one hand through his hair, hoping that this mess could be over soon enough.

"Hey, don't look so concerned." the voice broke him from his thoughts as he glanced up to see his Laguz friend once more. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep an eye on her."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Ike questioned.

"Oh ha ha."

* * *

After a multitude of battles and winding trails, the Tower of Guidance was finally in their sights and the only thing he could think of was how exhausted he was. It felt like they had been traveling for even more months and these golden soldiers didn't make the journey any easier. He had to admit that the journey certainly gave him the experience he needed though… but it had been tiring and he was certain everyone was exhausted of fighting at this point. But, it was all just starting for them, wasn't it?

"How the hell are we supposed to get to the top of that?" Boyd cursed briefly as he managed to make it up to his side. His gait was slightly unsteady and his axe swung unevenly at his side; its thin blade had been worn down from the constant battling but he wasn't willing to switch it out for a new one just yet. "If there are stairs, I'm just going to puke and give up. I'll wait for you at the bottom."

"Good because I didn't want to take you in there with me." Ike remarked.

"Oh man… you suck, but I'm too tired to do anything about it." he replied. "So what happens when we get there? Do we just regroup and storm the place?"

"Yeah, essentially."

"This is our best plan yet- and that's going off the assumption that nothing is going to go wrong from now until then. Which, looking at our previous records of plans… brace yourself for something terrible."

"You're a real comforter there, Boyd." Ike started before he paused slightly as something in the distance caught his attention. They had spent most of their battles outside in spacious areas, so having to narrow down to this forest trail felt a bit hindering; it kept him on edge seeing how open they were to an ambush out here. And seeing as a few of them were still healing from their last battle, an ambush situation was not something they needed right now.

The trees ahead of them shifted though and finally drew in the attention of the Warrior next to him.

"Oh let me guess, giant birds now?" Boyd remarked sarcastically.

"They're called Hawks." Ike corrected.

"Oh sweet Goddess, I'm going to hurt you"

He chuckled lightly to himself before he watched as the treetops were finally pushed apart as a heavy, winged form dropped down through the branches. It wasn't a Hawk as they had previously discussed and what he had been expecting… instead, he was surprised to see it was a Pegasus instead. The pink-haired rider seemed just as surprised to see them as they were to see her.

"Well hey, if it isn't Lord Ike and the Greil's Mercenaries." Marcia started, finally managing to land her Pegasus on the ground below- much to the winged mount's relief it seemed. "Okay, this is the last time I take Chi-Chi through the forest. She was not made for forest travel and she never will be."

He chuckled lightly at the woman's look of dismay and aggravation. "I take it you guys made it here alright then." Ike nodded.

"Ah… I would use the term 'alright' loosely but yeah, we're all good at least. We're in a better condition than we were before." Marcia replied as she lightly brushed her fingers through the Pegasus' mane, trying to ease the animal's discomfort with the leaves stuck in its feathers. "It's nice to be on guard for once and run into a friendly face instead of a golden one; I thought I was going to have to go yelling back to the General about another attack. We've got camp situated just ahead, you guys look like you could use a good resting moment."

"Can't argue that." Boyd remarked with a heavy shrug.

"We could use the downtime until the rest of the teams get here." Ike added.

"I think you mean until like, next week; the Goddess can wait."

"Shut up, Boyd."

Following the Pegasus rider through the rest of the forest trail, he was relieved to finally step out into a clearing and be free from the tangling underbrush. At least they had a decent camp to sit down and rest in, treat the rest of their injured and wait for the Dawn Brigade to show up. Which, hopefully, wouldn't take too long now.

It was a welcoming sight to see the others again as soon as they made it to the camp. They didn't waste a moment to finally unpack and greet old friends once more; it wasn't much of a secret to say that they had all been worried about the other teams- worried one of them might've ran into too big of an obstacle from the Goddess herself. Although, it wasn't all that long ago since they were last together anyways... regardless though, anything could've happened. But from the looks of it, the Royal Knights and company seemed to have fared well with their travels. Although he had to admit that while Prince Reyson and Prince Rafiel seemed relieved to see one another and pulled each other into a tight embrace, King Tibarn and Queen Nailah seemed less enthused about the other. He didn't know what their conflict was and certainly didn't want to know; whatever the problem was, it was their business to solve. He had accidentally placed himself between the Queen and Rafiel once before and… well, at least he could say he lived to regret that decision.

"Ah, Oscar, my worthy adversary!"

"Oh great- hey Kieran, it's good to see... you made it."

Well… it seems like Tibarn and Nailah weren't the only ones with unpleasant greetings.

"You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that if you intend to keep up with us."


	6. Chapter 6

He caught the words as he was passing through the camp and paused just long enough to see who had spoken- he decided to stick around for a while longer when he saw who it was. Chuckling briefly to himself, he moved to cross his arms over his chest. "Is that so? And just how long have you been waiting exactly?"

"About a day and a half now." Geoffrey replied as he paused briefly in the midst of running what seemed to be an errand.

"Well… damn then." he remarked as he dropped his arms back to his sides, feeling that sense of confidence suddenly leave him. "I thought it was by like a few hours at most."

"You wish."

He chuckled briefly at the given response before he moved to walk with the General as the man continued on with his errand. It had been months since he had last seen the man and from what he could tell... he seemed better. Marcia had mentioned that it'd be best to speak with him first anyways. From what he could tell their camp seemed pretty relaxed for now; he guessed everyone was resting at this time. If they had been here for a day and a half now, that probably meant they had to defend this area- which defending was more of a headache than playing offense sometimes. "So, we're just waiting on the Dawn Brigade then."

"And once they get here... I guess we actually have to finish this thing."

Yeah and it was startling to think so. A few weeks ago, it was just a proposed plan of action that he was certain no one thought would actually go through. But it did and now they were standing right here on the brink of it. The Tower of Guidance was just a stone's throw away. They couldn't afford to pretend this wasn't going to happen anymore.

He paused briefly as they came to a tent and watched as the General stepped through the opening first before he followed after. From what he could tell, this was the usual set up tent that was used for planning and keeping maps. And while it seemed like at this point there was no reason for any more plans... it was still nice to keep the tent in case of further discussions. Not to mention they couldn't just storm the tower blindly with all the teams and hope someone could make it to the top.

Okay, so maybe he was wrong.

They still had a lot more planning to take care of even from this point.

"You think we'll be able to put in a good dent at least?"

The General gave a rather passive sigh as he stepped around the table that was cluttered with all sorts of different maps; his fingers brushing against the scar on his face in thought. "Well, with the forces we have combined, including most of, if not all of the Laguz Royalty, we stand a pretty good chance where we are now. We've been taking down Begnion senators left and right for days now… they're not exactly overpowered by any means; I guess the Goddess didn't bless them as greatly as they thought."

"I will admit that they did manage to pack a good punch once or twice though." Ike remarked with a brief nod. "In our last battle, they jumped our camp in the middle of the night and it had just started to snow again too, so the conditions were the absolute worse for us. I think we accidentally attacked each other at one point because we couldn't see who was who."

"As far as I'm considered, fighting in the snow is one of the worst conditions you could ask for." Geoffrey replied. "If you've ever hit a patch of ice on horseback, it's one of the scariest experiences."

"I saw Titania hit one once, I've never seen the color drain from her face so quickly." he chuckled slightly. "And I think Oscar hit one as well and ended up partly falling against Titania- which, in itself, was a mess for them."

"Kieran hit this huge patch of ice before and it startled his mount so much, the horse threw its head back and broke his nose. He had to run through the rest of the battle with blood gushing everywhere- not that he really even noticed."

"It makes me glad I don't ride horseback." Ike replied as he moved to cross his arms once more. "So how did you guys hold up?"

"Better than I expected to be honest." Geoffrey started. "I missed the first battle, but from what I've heard it wasn't much of a challenge for everyone. But that last battle... while it was worth the struggle, wasn't easy in the least bit."

Somehow the General could always phrase something that was easily deemed worthy of his curiosity. Although he wasn't sure if it was the part about him missing a battle or just the overall dread that seemed to follow his words with the second portion. "What happened?"

The other man gave a brief shake of his head. "Bastian and I had been tracking down this madman for weeks now and when we finally caught him, within days he managed to escape from us. We were able to track him down again but... he pretty much lead us right into where he wanted us. We got pinned down in a swamp and he got the chance to summon an army of feral Laguzs on us."

Again. Curiosity. "How did that happen?"

"Because he was the one who created the poison that causes Laguzs to go feral." Geoffrey explained briefly. "Neither he nor the battle went down easily, but in the end once King Tibarn had eliminated him, the Feral ones disappeared. It made a huge mess of things and it's only now starting to settle back down."

Before he could so much as question the words, another voice from behind distracted him.

"Lord Ike, it's good to see you again." Lucia called as she ducked in and paused briefly in the middle of the tent opening. "I saw a few of the Mercenaries out and about and figured you couldn't be too far away from them."

He turned back at her voice and smiled in return. "And you as well, Lady Lucia, although I feel as though we've exchange this greeting far too many times these past few months. We can't constantly be good to see one another every time."

"Indeed we have, but given our situation, we had no other choice." she nodded before her expression darkened into a brief frown. "You might want to keep yourself separated from that '_thing_' for your own sake."

He was slightly taken back by the remark and could only watch as the blue-haired woman walked away- seemingly still in a sudden foul mood. Frowning to himself, he could only turn back towards the other man who was pinching the empty space between his eyes.

"Like I said, it's only starting to settle back down." he repeated before he seemed to give brief shrug. "Although that's the closest she's gotten to speaking to me again."

That seemed... strange at best. For as long as he had known the two siblings, he couldn't recall at time where they seemed at completely different ends from one another. They butted heads and argued, but who didn't? Even he and Mist could still get in a good argument every now and again before Titania had to step in. Hell, he didn't even want to get into the arguments that Boyd and Rolf could get into- even with those that Oscar had to intervene on, they tended to get worse instead.

"Do I even want to know in how long?"

The General only gave a shake of his head, looking completely exhausted for a brief moment. "Probably about... six days now." he replied. "Before she wouldn't even look in my direction or acknowledge me even when I was standing right in front of her. I figured it'd be a lot less painful to just let her cool down on her own. Goddess knows you can't get her to calm down by force."

Curiosity, for a third time, was a terrible creature.

"What exactly happened? I can't say that I would label Lucia as being the silent treatment type." Ike remarked.

"She's usually not, but this latest ordeal really tipped her the wrong way." Geoffrey started before he pushed his fingers through his darker blue strands. "It's a long, complicated story that I still have a problem completely understanding sometimes."

"Is it as complicated as this whole Goddess ordeal?"

He seemed to give it a moment of thought before he reconsidered his previous statement. "When I stayed back in Crimea, it was mainly to keep the capital secure and keep our borders safe while the Royal Knights continued on; I told Lucia I would take whatever downtime I had to finally rest and get some of my previous injuries looked at-"

"How did that go?" he briefly interrupted, knowing well he wouldn't feel right passing up on the opportunity to know. The General certainly looked healthier this time around, but even with their last encounter, he hadn't picked up on the full severity of his condition.

"I had taken a really bad hit to the chest earlier which broke a couple of ribs and the constant traveling kept breaking them and prevented them from healing correctly. By the time I got the injury looked at, I had to get one of the damaged ribs removed, which was... interesting to say the least."

He winced slightly at the remark and took note of how the man touched at the left portion of his ribcage. He himself had bruised and broken a few ribs before but... nothing to that extend. The closest he could think of was the time Gatrie shattered a rib, got it healed and then immediately broke it again the next morning. Same process but hardly the same damage given."You're probably tired of talking about them but... how on Tellius did that happen?"

He gave a brief chuckle as though to humor him. "Impalement wound; it broke three ribs going in and a fourth one when I pulled it out."

Another wince. Sometimes he wondered if it was best if he just didn't ask questions about situations that were none of his business."Sounds painful." Ike remarked. "But uh... continue."

"Anyways, what I didn't tell her was that, that was only part of what I was doing. I did follow through with my word for a month or two and then, I had a second agenda to attend to." he paused briefly as though to catch his thoughts before he continued. "Bastian and I had made some minor plans behind her back, which were needed to be as confidential as possible in order for them to work; we knew that if we got her involved then… things would get complicated. At least on Bastian's side they would. He was adamant about keeping it all a secret but if Lucia was around, he wouldn't be able to keep his tongue."

Somehow he had a feeling this story wasn't going end well. Although he supposed he could see why Lucia would be upset with them doing something behind her back. Upset, yes, but so far it hardly seemed like something that was silent treatment worthy. "So... what did you do?"

"We all know how the Mad King's War started three years ago. One of the first recorded causalities was Sir Renning, the General of the Royal Knights at that time." he started, with that a minor sense of difficulty. For some, the scars from that time were still raw and difficult to accept. "At the start of this year, Bastian uncovered some information that said Sir Renning himself wasn't dead and he chose to investigate the matter. As it would turn out the information was true but he couldn't pull off the operation himself, so he asked me to accompany him. Let me ask you something, do you remember Bertram from the Mad King's War?"

"Sometimes I wish I could forget." Ike remarked with a slight nod. "He was one of Ashnard's Four Riders, wasn't he? I think the one thing I remember most about him was that he didn't really talk, he more like… hissed and grunted instead; it was actually kind of terrifying, and he gave Titania and good run for-" he paused briefly when he caught the other man's eye and felt parts of the story start to fall together in front of him. For a moment, he didn't really want to believe the connection and wondered if he was just getting ahead of himself. When the General didn't make a move to correct him... he figured that was it. "You're not serious…"

"We've got the evidence to prove it if you don't believe us." Geoffrey replied with a short chuckle before he shook his head. "Regardless, we had to go through some pretty nasty obstacles in order to get him back into our possession and once that was done we had to track down the man who could cure him- which was even worse. He was that madman I was telling you about earlier; apparently he used that same poison that's used to create Feral Ones to drug Sir Renning and have him brainwashed to work under King Ashnard's command. We panicked when he managed to get away from us and blindly ran after his trail, which ended up crossing our path with the rest of the Knights and then pulling them into this manhunt. King Tibarn wasn't exactly up for negotiations with capturing this man- and neither were we but we had been hoping to get him back alive. Unfortunately, we didn't and we were forced to find another way to cure Sir Renning. Which, luckily we did with the assistance of Prince Reyson, however… Lucia and Queen Elincia were not exactly thrilled about our plans nor did they like the sudden surprise of it either. Sir Renning is doing well though; he's almost fully recovered and back to his old self- but Lucia hasn't quite forgiven me yet. She hasn't spoken a word to Bastian either and I'm sure that's slowly killing him."

On second thought, he was beginning to think that that story could rival that of this whole Goddess ordeal. It was one thing for the Goddess to wake up ahead of her time but... tracking down someone who was believed to have been dead for three years only to have been drugged into fighting in a war that lead to his family's execution... that was another whole matter. It would probably need it's own category just to have all of the details broken down. "I... don't even know how to react to that." Ike admitted, feeling as though his head was hurting from the story. "How were you able to pull that off without anyone knowing?"

"Oh, that was all on Bastian." he answered. "I'm still amazed he was able to do all of that work on his own and actually have it work out in the end. Not that he's really had an incident where he messed up something... unless you count the time he set up this beautiful arrangement for Lucia but then completely forgot to send her a letter of invitation for it."

This was the same man that had managed to contact and arrange for their own arrival at the exact moment they were needed. He could somehow track them down by their ghost footsteps so to speak and then orchestrate this extensive trail of hunting down a dead man and madman all in one. Perhaps he wasn't giving the Count as much credit as he truly deserved. "So... Sir Renning himself is in this camp. Right now?"

"Actually no; he and Elincia went for a ride about half an hour ago." Geoffrey answered before he seemed to pause briefly. "Just... as a word of forewarning, he is still Elincia's Uncle."

"And you mentioned he was the former General of the Royal Knights as well."

"Oh believe me, he made that known." he remarked with a slight chuckle. "However, being the new General is far different from being the Queen's... what shall we say..."

Shit.

Now he understood the whole forewarning bit.

Letting out a rough sigh, he moved one hand to tug briefly on his headband. "Well... this is going to be an interesting arrangement then."

* * *

It was around midnight before the Dawn Brigade finally joined them, which came with much relief to those of them who were still awake. They were glad to finally have the armies together once more- not to mention, they had feared the sudden movement in the forest belonged to their enemies. And at this point, none of them wanted to deal with an ambush in the middle of the night.

The Dawn Brigade were exhausted but glad they had decided to keep treading on instead of stopping for the night.

It wouldn't be until morning when they held their next meeting. Again, most of them looked and felt exhausted, but they had no other choice at this point. They couldn't keep pushing off the attack... they had to make their decisions here and now.

It seemed like Yune decided at that point to drop the sword on them.

They could only have a handful of people go into the Tower.

They would have to handpick soldiers from the army that stood around them. Of all the people that had fought to get here, that had managed to escape the Goddess' judgement up to this point... only a few would be able to face her personally.

It seemed like an impossible decision and he refused to have the sole responsibility of that on himself. Having the Laguz Royalty with them was a given, but left them with even fewer numbers to take in.

They went by country and picked one person from each regiment.

By the end of the hour, they had their team.

He had confidence in those who were chosen but... he would've felt better if he could've had everyone with him instead. Having to leave behind the Mercenaries was the hardest part- sure Titania and Rhys agreed to go into the tower, but that left everyone else. What if something happened to them? They were his responsibility...

The Tower seemed different this time, probably because they were just about to enter the capital city now.

"Remember to keep your wits." Sigrun spoke nearby.

"Commander Sigrun, with all due respect, do not underestimate me." Tanith responded in return, earning a brief chuckle from the other woman.

"Yo Ike."

He glanced over at the voice and chuckled briefly as Boyd made his way over to him. "Something wrong?"

Despite the given situation, the green-haired man rolled his eyes at the remark. "Well, the world that I once knew was turned to stone around me, all the people that I know and love are now being forced to fight a Goddess that we all once assumed was good and celestial. As it would turn out, she hates all of us and has been trying to kill us countless times by using whatever Begnion Senator is at her disposal. And yet somehow... we managed to make it this far with a decent sized army- but hell rained down on us when the other Goddess said we can only afford to take eleven people in there-"

"Alright, alright, I get it, that was the wrong question to ask." Ike interrupted.

"About damn time you realized that." Boyd chuckled before he moved to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I just uh... was going to let you know that... you should try not to die in there."

"I wasn't really planning on it but don't be disappointed if I do." he replied. "You just keep an eye on everyone out here. Don't let anything happen to Mist- or else."

Again, the Warrior laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I'll try but you know how she can be. Just do what has to be done and get this whole mess over with. I'm tired of having to hang out with the same people day in and day out, I could use a little variety."

"Don't worry, I'll just go defeat the Goddess so you can have your life back." Ike remarked before he pushed the man aside. "Now stop distracting me, you're making the goodbye portion of this really difficult."

"I promise I won't tell anyone if you cry." Boyd spoke before he turned to leave.

He chuckled and shook his head at the man's departure before he looked back to the tower ahead of them. This... this was going to be interesting. At least if they came out of this victoriously then it would be quite a story to tell. It wasn't every day where they stormed the Tower of Guidance to fight a vengeful Goddess. With some hope, this would be the last time where they would have to attempt an impossible feat like this.

"Are you nervous?"

"Not as nervous as I had been expecting to be." he answered before he moved towards the question. "But... this is just standing on the outside of the city."

Elincia smiled briefly at the response as she made her way over to him. "It feels as though my legs are going to give out at any moment. I'm afraid I'm going to step inside of that Tower and be sick."

"Same here." he chuckled before he moved to take one of her hands. "Are you certain you want to do this?"

She drew in a deep breath and nodded as she wrapped both of her hands around his. "Yes. I may not be the strongest Crimea has to offer, but... I feel as though it is my duty to represent my country."

When he had asked for someone's hand from Crimea... in his head, he was asking her and when she volunteered he was both surprised and yet relieved.

"I'm honestly still surprised Lucia and Geoffrey let you volunteer."

"Oh, it wasn't an easy battle." Elincia started with a chuckle of her own. "But when they couldn't sway me otherwise, they seemed to accept my decision." she paused briefly and seemed momentarily distracted by something else. "I'm sure either of them would've been willing to volunteer but... Geoffrey hasn't completely recovered his strength back and Lucia doesn't want to leave his side. As frustrated as she is at him right now, she's not going to deny that he is still her brother. And even the Royal Knights seem to be hesitating between whether they should go with me or stay with him. But... I feel as though it's my turn now. I've put them through a lot, they've suffered enough with this war; I need to take the burden of fighting now. I need to do this for them."

"... And that's why you are one of the strongest Crimea has to offer." he spoke, lightly tightening his fingers around her own. "You're willing to risk whatever you have to to protect the ones you feel need it most."

She smiled briefly at his words. "Maybe that's also why I chose to go along with you, maybe it's time I start to return the favor."

"Maybe it is, maybe it'll be a nice change to be rescued for once." he teased. "... This will be the first time where a battle doesn't separate us."

"That might've been an underlining motive as well."

That's what he had possibly been hoping for. He glanced up briefly as Yune called for their attention and announced that they were on a schedule here... they needed to get to the Tower. Turning back to the Crimean Queen, he offered a short nod. "Well then, Lady Elincia, I believe this is our time."

She nodded in response and departed briefly to retrieve her Pegasus from nearby. He watched as she paused to speak with Sir Renning and shared one last embrace with him. In that moment, it seemed to finally hit him that the possessed man they had fought three years before, the same one who had miraculously somehow survived up until now... was the only relative she had left.

And yet, despite the years between them now, he still kept his dedication and knew that she could do this; he understood that she needed to do this for herself and for Crimea alike.

But it couldn't be easy to be reunited with his niece and then have to watch her walk away into a battle that no one knew the ending to.

She kept her head high and her emotions at bay though, returning back to him with only a mild sense of difficulty.

"Uncle Renning has a message for you."

"What is it?" he questioned with a brief cringe.

"He says that if you let anything happen to me, you'll feel the fire of Crimea on your back." she spoke before she cracked a short grin. "And if you so much as rest another hand on me, you'll feel the fire of Crimea just as well."

"Ah... well, that sounds like a fair trade."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I really was not expecting to take the story this far and really the main reason for that was because of the Tower battles. Don't get me wrong, I love typing this whole scenario, I could probably do it in every story if I wanted to. So I just wasn't sure if I wanted to do them again. I didn't want to become that person who just types the same thing over and over again- although I have already done that a few times with other scenarios. **

The Tower was absolutely silent as they made their way into it.

It only made the feeling of uncertainty and fear feel heightened as their footsteps echoed back at them. They were supposed to be the ones going in; they were supposed to be the only ones having to deal with this mayhem. But since when had anything gone their way? Everything had gone desperately wrong the very moment this war started.

"Will they be alright?" Elincia whispered, hands twisting almost painfully in her reigns. The color had escaped from her face and she seemed more numb than anything else. Her steps seemed uncoordinated as she made haste to keep up with the others.

It would seem as soon as they approached the city, all hell broke loose behind them. Without warning, a whole new army of those Golden soldiers appeared all around; surrounding the camp they were leaving behind. He remembered the panic as a unit of Wyvern and Pegasus Knights rushed by; their resurrected riders ready to kill. But they couldn't turn back, they couldn't keep delaying the fight… they had to run ahead. They had to leave everyone else behind to defend themselves.

Mist. Boyd. Oscar. Rolf. Gatrie. Shinon. Mia.

He knew they could defend themselves; they had proven it again and again countless times. But with those times, he had always been there on the field. If something went wrong at the last minute, at the very least he could provide enough coverage for them to get back on their feet. But he wouldn't be there now… Anything could happen and he could miss the chance to protect them. Not to mention, he had Titania and Rhys with him. What if Mist needed Titania or what if they needed a healer? Were there any other healers out there? He couldn't recall seeing any others…

And Elincia… she left behind the only family she had left.

And while they all held a sense of confidence in their teams, family and friends alike, there was always that sense of doubt following them. The sudden arrival paired with their immediate departure, the impending ambush they all were caught in the midst of… there was plenty of room for mistakes. There was plenty of time for something to go horribly wrong.

At this point, it could happen to anyone.

"This is it… we're approaching the first room." Yune spoke, her voice low and almost hesitant. Whether it was because of her own fear or the fears of Micaiah… they didn't know. It could be one or the other, or maybe both combined and rolled into one, hesitant tone.

"We've made it this far." Ike nodded as he moved to look to the Crimean Queen once more. "We've all done our part and fought our way here. That battle out there will be no different from the ones we've encountered so far. We know those people best… they'll survive."

"There's a difference between surviving and being okay." she whispered, maybe more so to herself than anyone else.

And something about those words made him question what she could've meant.

Now was not the time to discuss it though.

"Worry not, I'm sure our brethren outside are handling themselves well." Tibarn spoke, perhaps as a last minute comment to keep everyone together. "At least they are still outside and not cramped in this tower; the air is stiff and there's no room to stretch my wings."

"There is no need to overcompensate yourself." Nailah retorted sharply as she brushed past him and moved ahead. Her dislike for the ongoing conversation clearly evident and her desire for the upcoming fight easily seen.

He supposed she had the right mindset though. They should focus on looking ahead and worrying about handling the challenges ahead of them instead. After all, they had a lot more to worry for… if they didn't fix this now, then everyone would suffer for it. They were all making their sacrifices. They could do this.

"Let's go." he nodded. "We're at the bottom floor now, we still have a long ways to go from here. And I think we can all assume it's just going to get more difficult as we go on."

Pushing their way through the first set of doors that resided before them, he felt an eerie coldness stir a shiver down his spine. The long platform that extended before them split into small platforms on either sides, which gave way to different paths. Right in front of him, the straightest shot to the other end of the platform, was armed heavily with different Sages and Marshals- no doubt set in place to slow them down as best they could. He could already spot the remaining Begnion Senators left for them to finally pick off. He was getting sick and tired of their antics at this point… but he held no above-average grudge towards them. There were others here who would feel far more satisfied with their defeat and he was willing to let them have it.

He would just pave a path for them if they needed it.

Halfway through the chaos of swords and twisted spirals of fire, he stepped back to avoid another mess of what a Marshal could have made of him and took the brief moment to catch his breath. While these soldiers were not as terribly powered as he thought they would be, they were stronger than what he had previously encountered. Every successful hit seemed to pain him just as much and he felt the back of his shoulder already starting to throb. In a flash of red, the soldier before him disappeared beneath the heavy form of King Caineghis, who wasted no time in crushing the figure beneath his weight. He had always been adamant about challenging the Gallian King himself but… seeing him in action like this, he was beginning to reconsider his views on that.

The Laguz Royalty were ahead of him and seemed to have no struggles in taking down the soldiers in their way. Queen Nailah was strong and agile; she could strike once and somehow twist herself to the other side of the target and get in that final hit within seconds. King Tibarn was quick and slayed enemies with one hit of his talons. King Naesala used various twists and turns to dive bomb his targets, knocking them flat on their backs in one hit and then killing them in the next. And King Caineghis, paired with Prince Skrimir and his right hand shadow, Giffca, was… without exaggeration, unstoppable.

And yet, the fact that Titania was fighting just the same in the midst of all of them made him laugh to himself.

Here was the closest mother figure most of the Mercenaries had, himself included, and she was keeping up with the best of the best without breaking a sweat.

But there was someone else that caught his attention as well.

On a separate platform to his left, the Crimean Queen was holding her own against her golden opponents. She struck one guard and moved onto the next in a quick succession; her blade moving faster than her Pegasus could. When her first opponent began to recover, she dug her knees into the side of her mount and with a well-aimed kick, the winged animal sent the guard flying over the edge of the platform.

While she still considered herself a novice and still learning to the true art of the blade, he couldn't help but to be taken in by her swiftness; the different arcs her sword created and the graceful way her body followed afterwards. He could only imagine how difficult the sword could be on horseback, although Lady Tanith made it seem easy, but with every struggle, she was perfecting it just the same.

It occurred to him then that he had never truly witnessed her fight before.

* * *

The end of the first battle was greeted with a sense of accomplishment, but carried the constant reminder that they were still on the bottom floor; there was plenty more ahead of them. The deaths of the remaining Begnion senators came as a relief to the Daein soldiers who followed them inside. Despite the lingering hesitation between Crimea and Daein… she still felt happy for them. This would hopefully solve the last of their problems that were linked to Begnion causes; she hoped from here on out that they could get back on their feet and help their country once more.

She thought she heard Lady Tanith mutter an explicit about the Senators and watched as the Apostle scolded her lightly but did little else. There was no doubt the younger woman was feeling the same. It was hard to believe three years ago, Begnion was the reigning power of Tellius and now… now it was crumbling just as quickly as Crimea had. But its downward spiral had torn the country in two, separated their house of power and put most of their reigning leaders in prison. They had essentially suffocated what was left of Daein and now they were feeling that same sense of pressure bearing down on them as well. It would take years for them to recover, but it wasn't like they would be alone in that effort. It would seem as though the only country that remained strong and intact was Gallia. And to think people had once, or still did, consider the Laguz to be sub-human and yet, here they were standing more united than anyone else.

If- or rather when- they succeeded in this war against the Goddess and things could go back to normal… she would make a note to restore diplomatic relationships. Goddess knows they could use one another right now.

She had walked away from that first battle easier than she first imagined. She only managed a few minor cuts, nothing worth complaining over, and had gained a mild compliment from Lady Tanith. And while this was still just the first battle, she held a better sense of confidence in herself; it felt as though she could take on anything now.

The second battle was quick to prove her wrong though.

Fighting wasn't the issue; it was the waiting that killed her.

The battle was split with them fighting possibly the only remaining Begnion Commander there was, someone Lady Tanith seemed adamant about speaking to first. And while they were fighting their way through countless golden drones… he was having one final showdown against the Black Knight himself.

They couldn't reach him and were forced to fight their own battle while he fought his. And while she understood that he needed to do this battle on his own, the fact that she couldn't reach him in the case that something went wrong… that was what troubled her most.

When the battle was said and done for, she helped with healing the wounded- hoping to take some of the stress off of Rhys who was handling the more grotesque injuries.

"You look like you're flying a little low there."

Elincia glanced up at the words and tried to manage a smile for the Hawk King. He bore a few cuts down one forearm and while she was certain the wounds didn't bother him in the least bit, she still wanted to heal them; they still had a long way to go from here and they all needed to be in the best conditions they could get. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"I don't need Janaff's eyes to see through that one." he remarked.

She frowned slightly and moved to place her healing staff next to his arm; feeling the warmth of its energy radiating in her fingertips as she sealed the small cuts. "I just can't imagine what he's going through right now. He thought he had this all behind him… but then it just comes right back to him and it's like nothing's changed."

His wings shifted briefly, shaking out at his sides before they folded themselves against his back once more. "He deserved that battle more than anyone here- I'm just glad he succeeded; I told him he better win in my place."

She nodded with his words and moved to strap the healing staff to her lower back. "I just… I hope he's able to deal with it."

"It's been three years."

"Three years ago, you wouldn't even look nor speak with any of us; you absolutely refused to offer any sense of assistance even when we needed it. And now, you're one of my greatest allies…" she started. "I would have figured for someone like yourself, three years would seem like yesterday. I can't even imagine not having you at my side but I still remember the first impression I had of you. If I can remember something like that and still think back on it from time to time… how do you think those three years have been for him? That man in the black armor killed his father, King Tibarn; he didn't have time to grieve, he had Mist to take care of, he had to take care of the Mercenaries, he had to fight in a war he had no control in. I don't think he ever found acceptance in it… not until he took on the Black Knight himself and thought he won. At that point, I think he let himself grieve and tried to put the matter behind him. But halfway through this war, that armor came back and it opened those wounds again. He's going through the same process all over again, right at the height of another war coming to an end. He can't just… push it aside for later; he may think he can but he is not invincible to emotions. No one is, not even you, Tibarn. So please just… don't say it's been three years like it's supposed to solve something…"

The Hawk King remained quiet for the few moments following; if any part of her speech had offended him, he didn't make note of it.

"Sounds like you've got a few unresolved emotions yourself." the man offered.

She offered what could be best described as a bitter chuckle as she moved to brush aside a loose lock of hair, nervously tucking it behind one ear. "Three years ago, I lost both of my parents and for the longest time, I wasn't sure if I could mourn or not. I could count the times I had seen them on one hand. I think I might've cried more when Sir Delbray died… For the longest time, between the stress of trying to run a country I was hidden from, I hated myself for acting like that. I thought, what kind of person does that make me? Even now, even after three years, I'm not sure if I can grieve for them. And then… and then there was the ordeal with Uncle Renning, who had always made it a priority to visit whenever he wasn't practicing with the Royal Knights; he used to joke around and say he saw me as his own daughter. When I lost him, I just… I couldn't react; I was so lost in every piece of emotion, I just shut down. But now he's here. He's actually alive; he's waiting for me out there. And I don't even know what to tell him…"

* * *

Pushing his way into the next room, he actually found the embrace of silence to be comforting. He had left the others behind him but right now, he needed this kind of solitude. He just… he needed a few minutes at best to recompose himself. Ragnell was strapped to his back while Alondite weighed heavily in his hand. He was almost certain the impression of its hilt had broken the flesh of his palm; his fingers were so tightly wrapped around the sword, he swore he cut off the circulation to them. Its blade was a mess of previous battles that left scars down its spine.

His own blood was still on it.

His side still throbbing from where the man had managed a lucky hit and he had been stupid enough to leave himself open for it. It was a heavy hit, one that shot pain straight to his ribs and shook them in their places from the force. He was lucky to not have been knocked off his feet… if he had, that would've been the end of the battle right there. Blood was spilling down his hip and leg, dripping over the white tiles underneath him. And while the pain was a constant reminder with every step he took, with every movement, he barely paid much attention to it.

Alondite… Ragnell's counterpart. Both of which were considered to be pieces of Begnion's most precious treasures.

How could he have not known?

Ranulf had told him the identity of the Black Knight before and he had braced himself for this moment- knowing that it would come eventually. And when it did… it felt like he just completely lost everything. He remembered fighting alongside Commander Zelgius during the Mad King's War; he remembered fighting against him in this one. But this… the black armor, Alondite, all of it…

His grip tightened further before he felt himself draw the sword back and throw it as far as he could.

Its deemed title of being priceless and irreplaceable shrieked as its blade scraped across the tiles; its hilt tumbling and spinning with the momentum before it came to a final rest. The very tip of its blade tittered on the edge of the platform, hovering over a sightless drop. And for those few seconds, he wished it did fall. He wished it snapped in half, shattered into as many uncountable pieces as humanly possible and scattered like ashes on the bottom floor. A timeless piece reduced to nothing more than a heartless offer to an equally heartless Goddess.

The emptiness of weight in his hand seemed to hit him hardest though- harder than he could've imagined.

Here they were in the Tower of Guidance working their way up to the Goddess herself, fighting every wave of enemies the celestial being could produce for them. They were fighting for all of Tellius here, for every sign of life in this lifeless world. Those left behind were fighting for their lives outside, hoping to live to see the end of this chaos; hoping to see them walk out of this tower victoriously. There were still challenges that remained before them, challenges they needed to handle.

And he was losing himself.

His fingers were aching from the strenuous grip before they moved to press themselves against his side; feeling the warm flush of blood push its way around them. It was deeper than he thought… not life threatening, but he'd probably pass out from the blood loss if he let himself.

"Ike."

He glanced back at the voice and watched as Titania slowly made her way onto the platform- although she seemed careful to keep her distance for now. That strong front, that warrior poise and expression she carried with her was tucked away; she no longer seemed like the woman who could keep up with the likes of King Caineghis and Queen Nailah. Instead, she just… she was that backbone for the mercenaries. Not that powerhouse backbone, but the motherly, strong parental kind of one. For now, she wasn't the one who could swing a poleax with unimaginable speed and power; for now, she was just the one who took Mist out shopping and gradually grew out to include Mia and Nephenee as well. She wasn't the first one out of the field, racing to strike first just to spare someone else from fighting; she was the one who made sure everyone was in good health and if someone fell ill, she did whatever she had to to get them back on their feet again.

"I'm fine." he answered; his voice sounding weak compared to hers. Fingers pulled away and he briefly glanced down at the blood that stained them. "I'm okay… right?"

She seemed to bide her time before she drew herself closer; tucking aside previous caution to tend to whatever she needed to.

He felt the weight of her hand against his shoulder and felt the brief squeeze of her fingers.

She didn't have to say anything; she said everything that needed to be just in that motion.

He nodded briefly, maybe more so to himself than to her, before he moved to rest his hand on top of her own. "Let's not tell Apostle Sanaki that I almost destroyed one of her country's treasures."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So this chapter turned out to be almost like thirteen pages and... that was way too long for one chapter, so I had to split it. The reason I was doing long chapters was because I work in bulk with these kinds of stories, I was hoping to upload less by having longer chapters (that went against me), and when I get into a spill of something, I don't stop typing until I get the idea out. I also like doing battle scenes too although I'm kind of skimming around on these ones because I could do a chapter for each battle but trying to save myself that trouble. I don't know what this message was trying to solve but it's here now. **

She didn't say anything when he returned, in fact, it seemed like no one wanted to spare a word. The only one who did was Rhys and even then it was just a brief remark about his injury.

After that, it was back on their upward climb to the next challenge. It was still early on, no one really knew how many battles there would be, she wasn't entirely sure if she should be tired or not. She felt sore already and if they did indeed have a long journey ahead of them, she was worried for how well she'd be able to hold up. If it became too strenuous she supposed she could choose between fighting and healing- and with how things were lined up now, they would be in dire need of another healer instead.

"This is not happening." Tibarn muttered as the platforms before them slowly began to fill with different-colored Dragons. His wings shook themselves out before they pressed tightly against his back, hinting at his obvious discomfort for the new battle.

"What is it? Scared of a few Dragons?" Nailah questioned, swinging her tail loosely behind her.

"Says the dog that's been stuck in the desert for centuries."

It looked like the Laguz Queen was prepared to fight him instead but was somewhat held back by Rafiel, who seemed to have successfully convinced her to think otherwise.

"This will be a difficult battle, there is no argument there." Caineghis spoke as he stood at the front of the line. His heavy features seemingly heavier with strained emotion. "It is… unpleasant to know that Dheginsea has chosen a separate path from us. But we all have our motives and we are all here for our own reasons… You were always a reluctant ally, I will not enjoy this battle, my friend."

The sight of the battle before them was absolutely chilling and she felt her Pegasus shift uncomfortably beneath her; its wings almost vibrating once or twice as they tried to pin safely to the side. She supposed she wasn't acting any better; her nerves kept her going to the sword at her side just to make sure it was still there- not that she thought it would do any good in this battle.

He moved to rest his hand against the Pegasus' neck and heard the animal give a brief snort at the motion before it leaned in against him. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Is anyone going to be okay?" Elincia questioned in return. "Even King Tibarn is worried, where does that exactly put us?"

He offered a slight chuckle and moved to place his hand over her own. "If we keep to the inside of the group and watch our step, we should be able to keep out of the range of most of these Dragons. Let the Royalty take care of most of this battle and… pick up the turns when we can. There's no need to rush through this, doing so will probably get us in a bad position."

"So play it safe and hope for the best then." she spoke.

"That's the kind of strategy I'm aiming for." he nodded.

"Sir Ike, if I might have a word."

He glanced back briefly before he turned to face the pink-haired woman behind him. "Ena…" he acknowledged, wondering now how she felt about this new battle. These people were her own and she would now be forced to defend herself against them. "If you wish to stay back, then by all means do so."

"They won't attack me." she assured before she moved to look across the platform; her lips tucked downward as she seemed far more conflicted than King Caineghis was. "I just ask that until I get the chance to speak with him, please do not approach Nasir."

Of course… it was bad enough she was going against her own species, her own King, but her own grandfather as well. Looking back across the platform now, he could spot what looked to be one of few white Dragons out on the field right now. And seeing how closely he was standing next to Dheginsea, he could only assume that was Nasir. Sighing lightly, he nodded once more. "In all honesty, I highly doubt I'll be able to make it that far, but in the case I do, I'll wait for you first."

She seemed somewhat relieved at the words. "Thank you."

"What if you're not able to convince him?" Elincia questioned as she tightened the reigns around her hand once more.

"I'm his only granddaughter… I'm hoping there will not be any convincing required." Ena started. "However, if things do not work out, then… I will do whatever is necessary for our success."

She could see the almost hurt in the woman's eyes with the words and couldn't bear to think about what was going on through her head right now. But, unfortunately enough, she wasn't the only one struggling with this situation either. "How is Prince Kurthnaga handling this?"

Ena shook her head lightly and moved to straighten herself up. "He is handling this as best he can right now. Despite the situation before him… he wants to assure you that he will not desert this operation; he is determined to stay at your side until the end."

"I'm glad." she nodded. "I know this can't be easy for him…"

"This isn't easy for anyone…" Ena spoke. "But there will be time for us to grieve at the end of this."

… Of course.

The battle was just as he had predicted- strenuous, difficult and any one slip would cost them. He moved forward with the Laguz Royalty, although he made sure to keep some distance behind them as they struggled enough to take down the opposing Dragons. He was confident in his strength but he wasn't stupid; he wouldn't go headfirst in to a battle he knew there was a strong chance to be killed in. Tibarn and Caineghis assured that they would try to take care of a bulk of the battle since they were the ones with the most experience against Dragons. He wouldn't argue that and told them if they wished to take the battle for their own, then they were more than welcome to. But he knew he wasn't completely useless either. Ragnell did more damage than he originally thought, so he could slip in a strike or two without much fear. Kurthnaga and Ena stayed close by as they eased themselves forward and as expected… they weren't targeted.

The others stayed behind for the time being. It was claustrophobic enough with the Royalty keeping tightly at one another's side, determined to keep one line forcing its way forward. It was almost humorous to see the size differences between Caineghis, Giffca and Skrimir and then compare them to the likes of Queen Nailah, who was readily able to keep up with them. Her strikes, while not nearly as damaging, were percise and dangerous in their own means. The white fur of her muzzle was stained easily with blood that dripped its way to the mane of fur on her chest.

Every now and again, between different swings, he took the chance to glance behind him and see how the others were holding up. Titania kept a tight watch on the rest and readily struck at any Dragon who dared to approach. Her lance was accurate with every hit and her horse was quick enough to avoid whatever burst of fire came her way. Micaiah, or perhaps Yune, and Sothe joined in when they could but their rather close-range fighting was a bit too dangerous to keep constant.

Even Elincia struck from time to time, able to down a Dragon with some assistance- although she did a majority of the damage given. Despite treating herself as a novice, it was her determination that kept her going and kept her swinging with every new attack. He had completely forgotten to compliment her on the skill- he supposed now wasn't really the best of time to do so though.

They kept pushing forward and struck accordingly when they could. He winced as he watched Giffca take a fire blast straight on; the Lion barely managed to duck his head in time to avoid serious injury. But his mane became aflame and powerful clouds of smoke erupted from his fur- circling and swirling around his broad form. A half-growled roar escaped from the twisting pillars before the Lion charged forward and tackled into the attacking Dragon- the flames were still attached to his mane. It was an odd sight to witness at best, and yet he was captivated by it all just the same.

It felt like with every step forward, there were dozens of Dragons here to push them back five more. Every step that brought them closer to Dheginsea, brought them just as close to death itself it would seem. And yet the Dragon King did not move… it was like he was waiting for them to strike first; he was waiting to see if they could even make it to him. At this rate, as struggling as it seemed, they would get there and when they did… it would not be pretty.

He took a bad hit as soon as they reached the stairs at the end of the platform. He didn't even see the Red Dragon come crashing down next to him before it was already too late. Barely managing a twist to get out of the way of the fire, he felt the flames scorch his left cheek and make their way down his arm; the heat eating away at his skin. It was hotter than any Fire Sage he had ever encountered and for a sheering moment, it felt like he was going to pass out from the heat alone. How he managed to keep his balance and a portion of his mind that lead him to strike almost immediately afterwards was beyond him. Ragnell landed two solid blows, enforcing enough damage to cause the Dragon to back away.

"Of all the elements… it had to be fire." Ike muttered to himself as he briefly let himself look at the damage of his arm; the skin was tinted a dark shade of red and had blackened in some areas… not as bad as he had imagined. He easily could have lost an arm or half of his entire body in the blast; he was lucky to have just gotten the outer blast of it.

He felt a strong arm move against his shoulder and push him aside.

"Are you alright, Sir Ike?" Ena questioned as she forced herself between him and the striking Dragon, who immediately back away at her presence.

Sometimes it was kind of easy to forget that the pink haired woman was a Dragon herself… She damn well nearly knocked him off his feet with that simple motion. He gave a brief nod and tried to put the matter aside. "Yeah, just a little burn, that's all."

"He could have easily killed you, you know that?"

"But he didn't, so I still have that going for me." he replied with a bit of a chuckle.

If she smiled in return, it was only for a few seconds before it dropped away.

Through a mix of sweat and blood, they forced their way through the remaining bit of the battle and… with more struggles and possible heartbreak, the Dragon King was brought down. Caineghis and Tibarn spared a few words to the defeated King, their conversation kept away from prying ears before both walked away from the scene. It was difficult to not notice how heavy the Lion King's thoughts and emotions were as they bore down against him; he kept his composure but there was no possible way to hide the sense of goodbye in his eyes.

He couldn't bring himself to watch Kurthnaga approach his fallen father and eventually escorted himself out of the room- moving out onto the empty platform just on the other side. He didn't want… he just couldn't bare to witness a scene like that. If he was clever, he could've tricked himself into thinking it would be because a scene like that deserves privacy, but he knew himself better than that.

Sometimes he wanted to scream at himself for being so unstable at a time like this.

And other times, he felt like he deserved it. The timing could've been better but he couldn't afford to be picky.

"… You're hurt."

He turned back at the words and forced a brief smile when he noticed the Crimean Queen, although that changed when he noticed her expression stiffen slightly. He was confused at first before he slowly moved his fingers to the charred portion of his face… almost having completely forgotten he had been hit there in the first place. "It's not nearly as bad as it looks."

She knew he was lying about it but decided not to press the matter. She watched him excuse himself and had a feeling that he didn't need to be alone right now. Her eyes couldn't keep away from the burns and she winced at the slight peel of the flesh on his cheekbone. "Let me heal it at least." she started as fingers moved to retrieve the healing staff from her back.

"It's fine." he replied.

"You were hit by a Dragon, what part of this is 'fine?'" Elincia questioned.

Good point, well made.

"I caught the outer portion of it." he started before he felt a piece of skin slide free from underneath his fingers. "I'm surprised it's not as bad as it could've been."

"You must not be seeing the same wound I am." Elincia replied with a soft chuckle as she finally managed to loosen her staff completely. Taking his arm in one hand, she hovered the healing staff over the burned area. Maybe he couldn't see the full extent, but the entire under portion of his arm was almost completely stripped of flesh and burned to the muscle, maybe the bone as well. With this much damage though, she wouldn't be surprised if it rendered him unable to feel the pain. Keeping her energy consistent, she watched as the wound healed up as best she could manage it and was partially glad to see that the burns were disappearing. A dark red scar was left behind but it would heal up in time and if not, she had some other medicines that could help.

His cheek was scorched with the skin peeling all the way back to his ear. It was easier to heal at least and healed over with better results.

"Thanks." he nodded as he briefly looked over the healed injuries. "It's not every day that you get healed by the Crimean Queen."

"For reasons." she smiled. "You might want to get Rhys to go over this when you have the chance."

"No, no I'm going to keep it as a memento."

Strapping her staff to her back once more, she moved to rest her hands against his arm; feeling the rough differences between his skin and the newly created scar. "I don't know if you want to remember this… although I mean, fighting the Goddess and Dragons, it makes for an interesting story."

"There won't be another story like it." he replied, feeling the soft touch of her fingers against the raw tissue. He moved to gently brush the back of his fingers across her cheek before he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her in against him. After all this time, it was hard to remember just how small she felt in his arms. "And we're going to see it to the end."

* * *

It would seem as though with each of these battles, there was someone here who would be affected from it.

The first battle held a sense of peace for Daein. She would never forget the looks on their faces as they tore up the blood pact; allowing for the torn shreds to litter the tiles below.

The second battle brought on a sense of bitter closure for him.

The third battle tested Prince Kurthnaga's loyalty and dedication to what he believed was right; it also opened the doors for his new reign over Goldoa.

But this battle… this would be for the Apostle herself. The only door that was separating them from the Goddess herself would only open once Prime Minister Sephiran was killed- at least, that's what he informed them of. At first, the battle looked to be an easy one since the Prime Minister was the only one standing in their way, but once the conversations were over, the battle began.

She didn't know what these… spirits were, she had never seen them before. King Caineghis said they were elemental spirits, the bodily form of fire, wind or lighting. He didn't know much else about them but warned that they were dangerously powerful and that everyone should watch themselves. As if to prove a point, before they could so much as take a step forward, one of the Wind Spirits struck and knocked King Tibarn clean out of the air. She wasn't sure if she gasped or screamed in reaction but the heavy thud of his body striking the wall behind them was not pleasant nor easy to handle. He cursed loudly and groaned as he picked himself back up and dusted himself off before he gave a nod of reassurance- although it was easy to see the pain he was still in from the aftershock.

"We'll move ahead and take care of this nuisance." Caineghis spoke. "If you're staying behind, please watch yourselves. These things will get more dangerous the longer they're present, the last thing we want is to lose someone at this point."

"Thanks for the heads up." Tibarn replied as he pressed one hand to his back.

She could sense a point of nervousness in his expression as he turned to her.

"Please be careful."

"Hey, they're up there just the same and I can bet that they won't make your journey any easier." Elincia spoke. "You're in just as much danger as I am."

He chuckled softly in response before he moved to head forward with the others.

A small portion of their party decided to stay behind. The platform was more narrow than the others and if they all tried to move forward at once, it would only end in mayhem. Not to mention, the last thing they needed was another one of those Wind Spirits to show up and strike several of them at once. So the Royalty and a few others moved ahead while the rest of them decided to stay back and keep things under control as best they could. Prince Skrimir and Titania joined them this time and that alone made her feel more secure- at least if anyone got into any danger, then Titania would surely come in at the nick of time. Lady Tanith was just as swift but she tended to be more battle ready and preferred to jump into the conflict rather than stay back and offer a hand. Not to say that there was anything wrong with that, she provided another wave of protection that they would need for this battle.

The Fire Spirits burned with intensity she had never seen before and the Thunder Spirits struck with such powerful light, it left her blinded for a few seconds.

They each took turns in striking when they could. Prince Skrimir could take one down in two hits but tended to suffer a strike himself if someone wasn't watching his back. Lady Tanith took up that position and kept him protected long enough for him to down one Spirit and move onto the next.

She herself could get in four easy strikes before the Spirit charged up and by that point she usually had enough time to bolt out of its range. With their reduced group working in shifts and making sure someone was always watching someone else's back, they suffered little injuries and for the most part, were able to clear the Spirits as best they could. That wasn't to say they were without mistakes though. She winced as a Thunder Mage hit Lady Tanith with such power it knocked her from the saddle and dropped her Pegasus to the floor. The heavy thud of the winged mount hitting the tiles was agonizing to hear and she looked on with a sense of panic at the motionless animal.

Lady Tanith was not without a fight though. She was back on her feet and lifting her sword just seconds after ground contact. Forgetting about her Pegasus, she moved past the sprawled animal and raced towards the attacking Spirit with speed she hadn't seen in even a swordsman before. The woman cut the Spirit down before it could charge another strike and seemed to take pleasure in seeing the billowing cloud that was left behind in its place. Panting heavily, the woman turned heel and walked back towards her mount, who was flapping its wings in an attempt to regain its balance; legs kicking out slightly as it tried to stand.

In what was, perhaps, the first gesture that confirmed Lady Tanith did feel emotions, she moved forward and fitted her shoulder underneath the Pegasus' chin; giving it a place to rest on as it finally came to its feet. Her hand lightly patted the side of its neck and scratched behind one ear before she stepped away and pulled herself back into the saddle.

The blinding lights at the other end of the platform were distracting to witness and she found herself having a harder time focusing on their battle at hand. She had missed two strikes in a row and forced herself to retreat back rather than risk injury from the given Fire Spirit. She honestly had to admit she had far more respect for those who had been fighting longer than she. Although, with their greater experience and skill, she was pretty certain they were having an easier time with this ordeal regardless.

… She hoped the others were doing well.

She would pray for their safety if she knew exactly who there was to pray to.

"Wind Spirit!"

She turned at the sudden call just in time to see the green formation unleash yet another wind strike; if it was powerful enough to knock Tibarn out of the air, she didn't want to be on the other side of it. And while she might not have been… there were other people who were.

Micaiah and Kurthnaga were pushed back from the impending blast but Ena, in her Laguz form, managed to shield them away from further damage; extending one wing to wrap in front of them. Even Prince Rafiel was slightly knocked back by the power from just the outer ring and he was hardly anywhere near it. But she watched as it was the red-haired Paladin that took the blunt of the force. Her mount shrieked as it was thrown across the tiles, its hooves sliding against the floor, unable to gain any type of fraction. The poleax in her hand was knocked out and she looked like she barely managed to keep a grip on her reigns in time to keep herself from getting loose from her saddle.

She had to have skidded back from one end of the platform to the next, knocking down anyone who unluckily got in the way.

Her heart stopped as she watched the mount get knocked straight towards the edge of the platform, its back leg disappearing to the other side. For a moment, the horse was almost able to regain its balance, almost able to pull itself back up… and then the tiles that formed the edge began to break away; crumbling beneath its weight.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I did not even notice the amount of delay since the last update. I started to have like a really shitty month and then it all got better within two days, and I mean seriously, things did like a one-eighty on me. But then, it got hectic and then smoothed over; plus I kind of forgot about this story and then I lost inspiration. A whole list of reasons and excuses basically.**

She couldn't even imagine what that kind of drop would be like.

Digging her knees into the side of her Pegasus, she bolted across the platform and within seconds managed to drop over the edge herself to get to the woman's side. She wasn't even sure if she had an idea in mind, all she knew was that she had to do whatever she could to save her. She managed to get there in time to shove her Pegasus against the flailing mount, pinning it against the platform to keep it from falling any further. How her Pegasus managed to find the space to keep flapping its wings was beyond her but it was able to find the strength to keep doing so; to support its weight and that of the second mount… She had never been more relieved and proud of the aged beast.

"Just stay with me, I'll get you out of here." Elincia started, her voice shaking almost as hard as her hands were as she strained to keep a grip on the reigns. "… Somehow, I promise."

"This is more trouble than it's worth, Your Majesty." Titania replied; the color almost completely gone from her face and knuckles.

"You've still got two and half legs on the platform, we can still do this!" she spoke, perhaps more so in hopes she would believe it instead. "Come on, Shiphrah, please! Just a little longer, one more lift." the Pegasus snorted and pumped its wings a little harder; whining at the exertion. "I will give you whatever you want. A new pen, more oats in the morning, I'll let you play with the other Pegasi!"

"Careful, she'll hold it to you." Titania chuckled nervously as her mount continued to kick about; hooves shrieking as they tried to keep hold on the breaking tiles.

"Fire Spirit!"

She glanced up at the call and watched as one of the red spirits began to appear just in front of them. Of all the places, of all the people it chose to attack… it had to choose them. Of course. She cringed but continued to keep her hold, keeping her knees tightly pressed into the sides of the Pegasus.

"Elincia, you have to go. I cannot allow you to risk your health or life for this!" Titania started.

"No. I would rather die doing this than let you fall!" she shouted over the heavy beating of the wings next to her. She would lie if she said the prospect of getting hit didn't terrify her, but she would not let the paladin fall- not like this! Not when they were so close to the end.

The Fire Spirit continued to flare though as its power began to charge. Within seconds, it was ready and she closed her eyes as it began to strike.

She could hear herself screaming as the fire engulfed them; she could hear the paladin screaming, their mounts shrieking at the painful burn that began to eat away at their flesh. She felt her Pegasus tremble before its wings gave a powerful downward pump and propelled the both of them upwards. She couldn't even bring herself to open her eyes and she cringed at the shriek of the paladin's mount; it felt like everything inside of her was crushed at the sound.

She heard her Pegasus strike the tiles and felt the trembling shake before its legs gave out from underneath them; dropping them to the floor below. It felt like she couldn't breathe, every inch of her hurt from injuries she didn't even want to look at.

"Queen Elincia!"

The call of her name forced her eyes to open and the first thing she saw was her bloodied hands; the reigns so tightly wrapped around them that it ruptured her skin in two places, easily bleeding through her white gloves. Quickly pulled her hands free, she could barely move her fingers and could only watch as they visibly trembled before her.

A soft snort caught her attention and she looked up to see Shiphrah attempting to look back at her. Her white fur only slightly blackened from the flames. Without another minute, she pushed herself to her feet, taking note of the dark purple… cloud like presence that covered the tiles underneath her. While downed for the moment, from what she could tell, the Pegasus was without harm; the tips of her wings were a little scorched and darker but… nothing serious. No burns, absolutely nothing. Even herself, aside from her bleeding hands and a few black spots on her uniform, nothing was wrong.

Almost immediately, she remembered the shriek just before her Pegasus took off and felt her heart drop once more.

"Fucking Goddess, we almost lost the two of you." Tanith cursed as she dismounted her own Pegasus and started towards her. "That was a once in a lifetime event right there."

She looked to the dark haired woman for a moment before she turned her attention to the small group that was forming around her, searching for any sign of the red-haired paladin nearby; clinging to some small form of hope.

There was more than luck on her side when she spotted the woman kneeling next to her downed mount. It felt like she was just absolutely floored at the sight and tried to move to her, fighting through the feeling of inevitable collapse. She was pretty certain she was shuffling through every step, but it honest to Goddess felt like she would fall flat on her face if she tried to move any faster. Managing to get just a few steps away from the woman, her legs gave out and her knees hit the tiles with the full force of her body; she cringed as she felt the skin split but pushed the matter aside.

The almost silver-haired horse was sprawled on one side, his head leaning back at a further angle. His left side was split open from shoulder to hip, staining his fur with every pump of blood that was spilling out of it. His back leg was torn from the hoof to about midway up his leg and every time the woman tried to assist the injury, he quickly pulled it from her hand.

"I… I'm so sorry." Elincia started, forcing out the words as best she could although she wasn't sure if they could be heard or not.

She watched as the paladin pressed the back of her hand over her mouth for a moment before she gave a small nod. It took a few seconds for a short chuckle to escape her. "He's uh… he's going to be fine, don't worry about it."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Sterling and I have been together for years, I raised him when he was a little colt, this is nothing." Titania assured before she reached over and set a hand on her shoulder, offering a brief squeeze. "… I owe you my life, you know."

She managed a smile and gave a small chuckle herself, trying not to give into tears of relief, before she placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "This is my repayment."

It seemed to take her a moment before she nodded once more. "Now then… time to figure out what exactly happened."

"Titania, Queen Elincia, are you alright?"

She looked up to see Rhys walking towards them, a sense of worry easily engraved in his features. "I… I think so." she nodded in answer. "I just, I don't know how we walked away from that with almost nothing."

"You heal, I'll talk." Tanith interrupted as she welcomed herself into the conversation. She drew in a deep breath before she looked to them. "I cannot even begin to stress how fucking lucky you two are."

"Language." Titania replied before she turned to the red-haired healer. "I'm fine, just a few cuts, nothing worth worrying over. If you would though, Sterling could use a little help right now."

"I'll see what I can do." he nodded.

"You didn't even hesitate when she got hit, you went straight for her without any regards to your own safety." Tanith started as she shifted her attention towards her. "You wouldn't give up even when the situation seemed doomed… from where I was standing, it looked like an impossible scenario in all honesty. But you kept trying, even under the watch of one of those Fire Spirits. I was not expecting to witness something like that."

For some reason, she felt a sense of pride and relief come from those words. Despite being the Crimean Queen, she had felt so useless when standing next to the Holy Guard Captain; the woman was above her in terms of skill, experience, almost everything it would seem. She was mean-spirited, aggressive and she could not stress how glad she was to have the woman as an ally instead of an enemy. And yet, here she was, almost looking just as relieved as they were, almost at a loss of words it would seem.

But it still brought up a lot of questions.

"So what happened then?" Elincia pressed.

The woman sighed and brushed aside her short bangs. "Well… when the Fire Spirit showed up, I figured you guys were lost- I attempted to make a strike at it, but I wouldn't get there in time to stop it's attack. Turns out, it seemed some of the people here were more observant and few steps ahead of even myself. The Dark Sage in the back managed to strike at the appropriate time, I don't know what the hell he used but… it was able to not only cancel the attack mid-strike, but absorb it just the same. For a few seconds, you two were completely engulfed by the fire and then it just kind of dissipated. Your healer had already started to heal you just as soon as the Spirit struck, healing you upon impact and fixing most of your burns. After that, your Pegasus panicked and took off, creating enough of a thrust that your horse was able to get its footing and pulled itself up. And then you both collapsed, which I cannot blame you for."

"Sounds like quite the event." Titania replied with a mild chuckle, watching as Rhys finished healing Sterling's wounded side and worked carefully on his leg next. She pressed her palm against her forehead and closed her eyes for the time being. "This all could've gone terribly wrong…"

"It could have." Tanith nodded. "But it didn't, so count your blessings."

She nodded with the woman and moved to cover her face with her hands before she quickly remembered the blood on them. "Wait, shouldn't we be worried about more of those Spirits showing up?"

"That dark magic seemed to knock them all out and… it would seem as though the battle is over now." Tanith answered.

That would mean… they would be facing the Goddess soon enough.

Her head was still spinning and she was still shaking from this ordeal, she was in no condition to go into another fight right now. They didn't even know what to expect on the other side. What were they going to do?

The brief thunder of footsteps echoing around them signaled that the others were returning now. And with that… there would be no reason to not continue forward now. Although, she could probably convince them to take a brief break for now; she still needed to get over this whole… situation. She still felt like she was on the verge of tears and she just wasn't sure if it was the stress, the possibility of what could've happened or the overall exhaustion she felt at this one moment. But now wasn't the time for emotions. She had to be strong for everyone.

"Is everything okay on this end?" Tibarn questioned as he made his way towards them. "You look like you're in some pretty bad shapes."

"Worry not for us, Hawk King, we're recovering." Tanith answered. "We have more important things to worry for now."

She tugged briefly on her gloves, at first hoping to hide the blood before realizing it was simply futile. Peeling them off, she let them fall to the ground and examined the bloodied cuts that encircled her hand; leaving the bruised pattern of her leather reigns imprinted against her skin. Not exactly the worst, but they might leave some interesting scars.

"Elincia, are you alright?"

Glancing up, she felt some weight lift away from her shoulders at the sight of Ike making his way towards her. She still couldn't completely convince herself to her feet but nodded in return. "Yes, I'm just… a little shaky right now."

It didn't take long for his eyes to catch sight of the rest of the scene- she had never seen that kind of fear and panic fill his eyes so quickly before as he moved on to Titania.

"Don't worry, it's all getting fixed." Titania assured before he had a chance to ask, waving one of her own bloodied hands to sideswipe the question. "We just had a little mishap, Queen Elincia here saved my life... give us about ten more minutes and we'll be ready to move on."

He looked like he was struggling to say something, starting only to stop himself a few brief words in. It took awhile before he finally seemed to give up on the attempt. "I… I'm just glad that you two are alright. That everyone here is still with us."

"If you had been here ten minutes ago, you wouldn't believe how much of a relief it is to hear that." Rhys spoke as he finally pulled away from the newly healed leg. "I'm not an expert on animals, although I'm sure I've healed plenty of them at this point… but you might want to keep him off that leg for awhile. Which, is a bit hindering at this point."

"It puts me into an interesting predicament." Titania nodded. "One that I have no problems with given the possible alternative there was."

Elincia chuckled briefly at Ike's look of confusion before she reached up in assistance. He immediately took her by the wrist and helped her to her feet- taking the opportunity to examine her bloodied palm. "I'm sure you've heard it plenty of times but… it's fine." she assured before she moved to place her other hand against his chest. "This is it, isn't it? This is the end?"

"Yeah… not exactly what any of us imagined, but we're here finally."

They took the short, necessary break they all needed, mostly for healing reasons but… perhaps for nerves as well. Just beyond the door would be the final battle; the Goddess, Ashera, was awaiting them. Such a thought would have seemed comical if it wasn't so serious- if it wasn't so real at this very moment. She found herself dawning on the severity of this entire situation. It had been so easy to push aside because they weren't actually at the top, they weren't in the Goddess' presence now, but… they didn't have that safety net anymore.

This was really happening.

_But we have to do this… for everyone._ She thought briefly to herself as she combed her fingers through her Pegasus' mane. She had to do it for Lucia, Geoffrey, Bastian, Uncle Renning, for Crimea as a whole… for Astrid, Kieran, Marcia, Calill, Danved, Brom, Nephenee… for Mist, Rolf, Boyd, Oscar, Gatrie, Shinon, Mia, Soren… for everyone.

Shiphrah snorted slightly, as though reading her thoughts and lightly brushed her snout against her.

She chuckled lightly and moved to rub the side of her neck. "And for you too."

"What about me?"

She jumped slightly at the voice and turned to see the blue-haired Commander, which made her chuckle once more. She knew it was impossible for him to know what she had been thinking of, but... he probably caught the hint of it anyways. "I'm certain you don't need me to fight for you, Lord Ike; you seem to have yourself under control."

"That's not always the case." he corrected as he moved to be at her side; his arms crossed once more.

"Titania will look after you." Elincia teased, fingers moving to toy with some of the longer strands that skirted the back of his neck. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you… not if I can help it."

He smiled briefly at her words and leaned in against her shoulder. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

She shook her head at his response and moved to rest her head on his arm. "If… When we win this, what happens? Everything goes back to normal, the fighting stops… and then what?"

"I don't know… there's so much that can happen at the end of this, it's hard to keep tabs on all of it." Ike started. "Begnion will have to be rebuilt from the ground up; Daein will have to go through another recovery; Goldoa has a new King to usher in." he paused briefly before he continued. "And I'm just going to have to escort you back to the Crimean throne myself. Again."

She laughed at his teased words and lightly jabbed her elbow into his ribs. "Such a task will not be as easy as it was the first time around. You have competition."

"Even if there's a possibility that I may strike down the Goddess herself with my own blade?" he playfully questioned.

"I assure you… Uncle Renning will not care for such details." Elincia assured as she moved to link her arm with his own. "And neither will Geoffrey."

He thought such a predicament over and carefully tangled his fingers with her own during the process. "Maybe if I wait long enough, they'll fight with each other first and I can just sneak in later." he heard her laugh once more and felt the tightening press of her fingers to his own. "… They're both Paladins though. Doesn't really give me much leg room if I have to make a quick escape."

Somehow, despite the situation as it was, he still knew how to ease her nerves and make her laugh.

She hummed lightly to herself and pressed herself more firmly against his side. "When this is over, will you come back to serve Crimea with me?"

"It didn't really go over that well the first time." he replied. "Which, Mist still really hasn't forgiven me for walking away from that."

"If you're the defeater of the Goddess, I don't think the Senators can say much." Elincia reminded. "And… you don't have to come back as a member of the Counsel…"

He noted that her words were somewhat hushed and the way she seemed to sheepishly grin and look away with them. The words caught him off-guard and he wasn't entirely sure how to respond at first. "Uh well… I don't think I'd really be much of King material either."

"Ah well… you don't really have to be a King so to say…" she hinted.

It was hard not to laugh and he looked around to make sure no one could overhear them. "Are you proposing that I'd be a… Master of some sort?"

"I prefer the term 'lover' but which ever suits your fancy." she chuckled as fingers moved to brush aside a few of her own limp bangs. "This conversation went further than it should have…"

"But I haven't given my answer yet-"

"I don't want to hear it." she interrupted.

"You two seem to be rather lively over here."

They jumped slightly at the voice and she watched as both King Tibarn and King Caineghis walked over to them. She doubted they had heard their previous conversation, but… it was still a possibility and that kind of risk was… exotic to say the least.

"Just trying to keep our spirits up." Ike assured. "Are we ready to move forward?"

"About as ready as we'll ever be." Tibarn nodded. "With Nasir and Gareth on our side now though… we're not in that bad of a position right now."

He gave a brief sigh before he nodded. "Right… well, no more waiting then. This is what we've worked up to, no sense in prolonging it any more."

"I'm sure our brethren outside are awaiting our victory." Caingehis spoke.

Oh Goddess, they had been fighting this entire time… and he doubted those outside had the chance to take a break as often as they did.

"Alright, let's move forward then. We need to end this today." Ike replied as he moved to push himself to his feet, momentarily forgetting that they had their fingers, hands and arms entangled. He tried to work themselves loose as subtly as he could and stepped forward once it was done. "Let's get everyone together and into positions, we don't know what else she has in store for us at this point. Anything could be waiting for us on the other side of those doors."

And just like that, her heart was in her throat once more.

This was really happening now.

It felt like she had held her breath the entire time as they pulled together and got into their formations once again. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they seemed more confident and stronger but… she was certain that they were all sharing their own doubts at this point.

But slowly, step by step, they pushed forward and entered the final room before them.


	10. Chapter 10

And there she was. The Goddess, Ashera, herself.

She found it difficult to admit just how beautiful the woman was. Ashera looked every bit as celestial and perfect as they had been taught; she was every bit the image of their creator and mastermind of this world.

But she was no longer the forgiving, kind figure they had all thought.

"We're here now…" Yune spoke as she stood at the front. "Everyone, please be prepared."

Her hands tightened in her reigns once more before she quickly stopped the motion; feeling the remaining tenderness from her previous injuries. At this point, she decided to keep her sword sheathed and just focus on healing when she could. She figured she could keep everyone in decent health as they took on the battle instead; it would certainly keep Rhys from overexerting himself.

"Just think, defeating the Goddess can go towards your credentials." Tanith remarked as she stood to her right; her expression never once changing from its consistent stoic approach. She was surprised at how calm the woman was despite everything… it seemed inhuman to be able to restrain all of that emotion.

Elincia forced a chuckle and gripped her reigns once more. "Careful, Lady Tanith, I may mistaken those words to be of comfort."

The dark-haired woman almost seemed to smile for a moment, but that could've been an illusion. "An army is only as strong as its weakest soldier, Queen Elincia; we must always work to make sure everyone shares the same level of moral. If one person panics, it can bring everyone down and at that moment, the battle is lost. We may be among the strongest fighters that Tellius has to offer, we may have continuously watched one another's back without fail this entire time, but we are still capable of mistakes. There is no doubt in that."

She nodded lightly and moved to rest her fingers on her staff. "You have a way with words, Lady Tanith… I admire that."

"Yes well, years of working with Commander Sigrun has you learning what soldiers need to hear when faced with a difficult battle." Tanith remarked, pausing briefly before she continued. "I wasn't referring to you as the weakest solider here."

"That's quite alright because I certainly do."

"If you wish, after this is over and things had calmed down, I can offer you a few lessons- that is if you still wish to fight after this."

"I'm not sure if I might be, but it's difficult to turn down an offer from Second in Command of the Holy Guards."

Of course the battle would be difficult from the very start.

The Goddess herself was impossible to touch for the moment; they would have to break down each of her protective barriers first in order to just reach her. And she certainly wouldn't be an easy foe to deal with once that point was reached. More of those Elemental spirits had arrived and the sight of them made her cringe with dislike.

After witnessing Prince Skrimir charge into one of the barriers only to get forced back in reaction, it pushed the fact this wouldn't be easy. Then again, this was the Goddess they were facing; nothing about it said it was going to be easy for them at all. The Lion Prince seemed partly dazed at the reactive hit, blood spilling from his nose and mouth, before he shook the pain off and went in again. With every hit, there was a counter attack that knocked them back for a moment before they charged in once more.

King Caineghis could take down one of the barrier spirits in two hits but suffered greater injuries in return.

With hope, Elincia prayed that they would still be in a condition to fight once the barriers were gone.

The rest of them took charge against the wandering Elemental Spirits and knocked them out as quickly as they could. A slow kill proved that the Spirit would sacrifice its health to restore one of the injured barriers- forcing them back two steps in the process.

But Lady Tanith ensured that such an act only happened once.

She noticed the Dark Sage from Daein- the one who had saved them before and the one she never caught the name of- was able to drain the Spirits of their power over time. His spells seemed extravagant with their broad displays of colors and lights, but… they brought on a sense of coldness to the field that chilled her to the bone. She had overheard Rhys making a brief comment about the power, remarking that they were power opposites of one another- Light and Dark. He said that when one was taken down by a Light tome, the attack was almost painless and put the victim into a sense of solace first before it killed them quietly; he said he could only imagine that a Dark tome did the complete opposite. That the victim probably felt every ounce of their life being drained and physically pulled from their body, ripping them apart piece by piece.

But these Spirits weren't actually people, they were just… energy, right? It wasn't something that could be mourned over. Then she recalled all those soldiers they fought before; she remembered the way he landed the last strike on Senator Lekain… and while the man was evil, did he really deserve that kind of fate?

It wasn't her place to question it, she guessed. There were more important matters to worry with- things she needed to be more worried about.

Rhys had a staff that could heal everyone from a distance, so he took care of the ones attacking the barriers, while she took care of everyone striking the Spirits. Being on a Pegasus made it easier to bounce back and forth between people to heal whatever injury they had sustained. Lady Tanith argued that she didn't need to be healed after every strike, but she reminded the woman that they needed to be at full health once the barriers went down. There were no arguments after that.

But the Goddess wasn't going to just stand aside and let them attack her barriers without a fight.

Her first strike only seemed to affect those closest to her and she watched as they flinched under the power of her attack but recovered quite quickly. At best, it slowed them down for awhile before they jumped back into the swing of things.

The second strike hit everyone though and was much stronger than the first.

She felt the energy alone seemingly crush her and for a moment, she was so certain it had collapsed her ribcage in on itself; in her mind, she heard the collective cracking of each rib breaking away from her chest plate. It felt like her shoulders were dislocated, ripped violently out of their sockets while her elbows and wrists snapped perfectly in half. Her hips snapped free while her knees and ankles popped loose; every bone in between contorted and broke in different directions.

And what felt like hours in crippling, intense pain eventually eased away to clear the white spots from her vision.

A harsh gasp for air broke from her lips and for a moment, she was convinced that she had either died or had been broken to the point where pain could no longer be registered. Either or were possible at this very moment.

"I'm not trained in the art of health, but… I am almost certain the Goddess has cursed me with a concussion." Tanith started as she kept one hand pressed to her forehead, partly cradling her face.

"How can you say that so calmly?" Titania questioned not too far away from the woman, wincing still but otherwise showing no other signs of being hurt.

"Because I've had five concussions before and even gave Commander Sigrun one once." she answered. "I know what it feels like. Although it will not stop me, I must admit that I am disappointed that this is all the Goddess could throw at me. She will come to regret that."

She had to admire the woman's resistance and somewhat… dark humor at times; it certainly kept them close to reality while reminding them that they had no other choice but to win in this matter. And that they couldn't be selling themselves short.

"Is everyone alright at least?" Titania called out.

A few muttered responses answered her, which only seemed to cause her to frown.

"I think I'll live." Elincia nodded, moving one hand to her side as a sense of raw pain seemed to sudden constrict in the area. When she leaned forward briefly, she heard the reactive cracking of her ribs as they shifted out of place. Definitely broken. It hurt and nearly left her breathless, but she could handle it. "… She hit harder than I was expecting."

"For the being that helped create this world, she's not as strong as I would have hoped for." Tanith continued, touching briefly at her nose as it seemed to bleed all of a sudden. "Perhaps she is merely warming up."

"If that's the case… then we need to hurry."

Elincia glanced up at the words and watched as Ena finally moved back to join them. She didn't seem all that injured outright, but she kept her hand pressed over her stomach as though in pain. The Dragon Laguz looked paler than she was before but still collective- although worried just the same. "Are you alright?"

"I will be alright, do not worry." Ena assured. "I will just have to stand away from the battle for now."

She didn't blame her. She was impressed with how long the woman had lasted for now… making her wonder just how long this battle would continue on.

The elemental Spirits seemed to have resided for the time being, leaving them to stand awkwardly on the outer edge of the platform for the time being. It was too dangerous to rush into the battle with all of the Royalty striking as they were- bouncing back and forth around one another. She watched Sir Giffca and Queen Nailah smash into each other once before and watched as his bulk was enough to knock her off her feet while he partly fell on his back hunches. It looked painful and she watched as they both struggled to recover from it.

She didn't know how long it had been, it felt like hours and after a few more of those hits, she was certain she was going to lose consciousness at one point or another… but the last barrier finally fell. There was a sense of relief with it because it meant that they were well on their way to finishing this. But as that barrier fell, a stilling coldness spread across the platform and she could feel the tension in the air thicken with the Goddess' energy.

It was almost suffocating.

But they had made it this far… no sense in turning around.

"There's only one drawback here." Yune spoke through Micaiah's lips. "You can only finish her off with the blade that I've blessed… which means that only you can get the last strike, Sir Ike. The others can continue to fight but if they get the last hit, she'll still have enough energy to regenerate her health and you'll have to start over. So please, be careful."

The words were stilling to say nonetheless and despite the hot pain that seemed to conquer his body, he felt a cold chill rush down his spine. Ragnell was already heavy enough in his hands, he was struggling enough swinging next to all of the Royalty. And they hadn't even been hitting the Goddess herself… the battle hadn't even started and they were all already bloodied and sore.

But only he could deal the final blow? All that responsibility was on him? As if he hadn't had enough to manage this entire time… now this?

Brushing the back of his hand across his bloodied lips, Ike glanced to the shorter woman at his left before he looked back to Ashera herself. She was stoic, unmoving… just looking at her made his chest hurt; she certainly didn't look like the Goddess they had all worshiped and been taught about.

"Are you up to the task?" Yune pressed.

"Do I have a choice?" Ike questioned.

"Not if you want this whole ordeal to be over with."

Great. He was cornered into this now- not to say that he would choose not to solve this.

Sighing heavily, he nodded and slowly drew his sword up once more. "Alright, let's finish this- and hurry while we're at it."

"Good, I don't know how much longer we can hold out." Tibarn replied after having briefly shifted out of his Laguz form to tend to one of his wings; there was a brief popping noise as he reset the bone before he stretched the wing back out. "We're all going to be crippled by the end of this."

"I would hope so." Nailah spoke. "It will be a physical memento."

"I'm quite alright with just scars." Caineghis remarked; his red fur heavy and darkened with blood from unseen injuries. "I'm old enough as it is, the last thing I need is another limp."

They were all still in relatively good shape… they could fight this, that was no problem; the problem resided in if they could make it back once the battle was over. At this point though, that wasn't important. They had to finish this. There was no arguing that.

Repositioning his grip on Ragnell, he rotated his wrist and listened to the painful pop it gave before he stepped forward. "Well… let's go then. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get out of here. We don't want to keep everyone else waiting, right?"

Everyone pulled their strength back together and surged forward once more. With some minor, last minute planning, they would have one person strike at a time to gradually knock her down until her strength gave in… in which case, that was where he moved in.

King Caineghis went first; his remaining strength was still strong and they needed that first blow to strike the hardest. He watched as the Lion King lunged forward just like before and brought his heavy feet down against the Goddess- who didn't so much as flinch under the hit. Unlike the barriers, there was no immediate return fire… but when she did strike in return, it wasn't pretty. The heavy beast was thrown back across the platform, claws shrieking as they tore the tiles apart before he eventually came to a stop. There was a sense of uneasiness as the King stood still before he slowly moved back forward; each step was shaky and unsteady, becoming worse so with every following step until he rejoined their lines. If there was any physical damage given, it wasn't shown.

King Tibarn went in next and landed a successful hit before the return strike knocked him clean out of the air; collapsing him to the ground within seconds. There was a slurred curse somewhere between the two hits before he struggled to get back up.

The same happened to King Naesala.

As well as Queen Nailah, who ended up being rolled twice from the strike.

Giffca and Prince Skrimir struck at the same time, both of them seemingly eager to attack next without questioning the other. It didn't seem to matter much, the Goddess still stood just as strongly as she had when they walked in. The two Lions were thrown into one another and their force alone was almost enough to knock the other unconscious.

Nasir and Gareth shared a strike after some assurance that they knew they wouldn't be of much use against the Goddess; they struck from a distance and seemed to avoid a major hit but were still knocked to the ground from the return strike. Prince- or rather King Kurthnaga attacked, but again, just like the others, suffered a severe hit in return.

They continued to shift roles, striking at odd intervals in hopes of taking her down quicker.

And yet, it still felt as though it took hours.

King Caineghis had advised him to save his strength for the final blow and remarked that the last thing they needed was him getting knocked out by the Goddess when they were so close. He didn't think it was fair seeing as he wasn't pulling his own share of the abuse but… he wouldn't argue the King's point. It was nerve-wrecking to watch everyone get so violently knocked down and struggle to stand again, only to get back in line for another shot. He winced at the sound of bones breaking with some of the landings, knowing well that the sound would stay with him for years to come.

No one complained though, even as blood began to spill from noses and mouths, even when they seemed on the brink of vomiting… they kept going.

He would've liked to pray for it all to be over soon but… he didn't know who to pray to anymore.

"She's weak enough… do not miss."

The sound of Yune's voice almost startled him and he glanced quickly back to her- almost having forgotten about her in the first place. She gave a brief nod though and… he knew it was his turn. Don't miss and he could put this whole thing behind them.

His body felt heavy as he moved forward, steadily approaching the unmoving Goddess. Even as he approached, she continued to hold that blank stare… Did she doubt he could finish her off? Or was she awaiting the final blow? Or was she testing him? He didn't want to think anymore on it, his head was hurting enough as it was.

As he drew his sword back, it felt hotter as though a massive surge of energy was being pushed into it and he could only guess that Yune was lending her power to him to ensure the job was finished. Swinging it back forward, he watched as the blade cut through the Goddess as though she was nothing more than an apparition. For a moment, there was only absolute silence… absolute stillness. And he wondered if this was what the end of the world felt like.

Ashera was still standing before him before the blue flame that had engulfed his sword slowly began to swirl around her. The flames wrapped themselves around her form until she was almost concealed completely.

In the background, he swore he heard someone let out a cheer and even felt himself give into a short chuckle as everything up to this point was now over… This whole war was finally over with, all the fighting, all the deaths, everything. They could get back to worrying about other matters now-

Before he even saw what happened, he felt an immense amount of force strike him hard in the chest and he swore he heard every bone between his chest plate and spine break completely. It was stillness before he caught up to the force and felt it throw him across the platform- just like with all of the Royalty. There were seconds of nothing before he crashed into the tiles themselves and felt himself either skid or roll across platform; he wasn't entirely sure which one it was. Even when he finally came to a stop, it felt like he was still moving- his head was spinning and his mind had gotten completely disoriented from the energy.

For a moment, there was absolutely nothing.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I apologize for the wait- I had to move this month and it was not easy nor was it pretty. Nor was working on this chapter either. I had to cut it in half. Again. **

His head was reeling, pounding and painful with every passing second. He would've guessed himself to be dead, but… he was pretty sure one couldn't feel pain after death- he could've been wrong with that one though. His body felt disconnected and he remembered the echoing crunch of his chest breaking apart from some unknown hit.

Did he fail?

Did Ashera succeed?

Was this… the destroyed world- their afterlife? That hardly seemed as such. What if he didn't finish her off, what if she regenerated her being? They wouldn't be able to rightfully win if he was knocked out from the battle.

And then what?

Then the world was over and everyone was lost.

That couldn't be true though. He could still feel pain… he was still alive somehow, just not conscious.

All he could think about was waking up, having this whole war over with and… moving on. They never had plans for what they would do afterwards, then again they never had plans for this war in the first place. He was certain they weren't alone though, everyone was probably going through this same thought process. They just wanted the war to be over, that was all- whatever happened afterwards was better than the fighting and hardships.

For a moment, he felt a whirlwind of emotions pass him by.

_"You're serious? You'll actually let me join?"_

_"Only if you take it seriously." _

Happiness.

_"They've got us surrounded!" _

_"What?! No, we had three days- hold your ground!" _

Fear.

_"No, Titania, just… I'm never going to be as strong as him; I'm never going to be the leader he was. I can't… I can't do this." _

Depression.

_"Are you… sure you don't mind if I travel with you? I mean, I know you don't really have a choice, but still…"_

_"I don't see why I would have a problem. What did you say your name was again? Ranulf?" _

Indifference.

_"I uh… did you say you were a Princess?" _

Curiosity.

And they kept cycling through, each one piecing together a different memory along with it until all he was going through were different parts of his life. Was that the sort of thing that happened when someone was dying? Even so… he supposed he wouldn't complain. As long as everyone was safe now, as long as things were better from here on out… he would be okay with that. They would understand.

_"I look ridiculous, don't I?"_

_He tried not to laugh at her question and watched as she merely frowned at him- having caught him in the act. Shaking his head, he tried to clear his laughter and look a bit more clear-headed. "No, no, you're fine. Don't worry, when I first picked up a blade, I didn't know how to handle it either. The only difference is that I went in a bit more hard-headed and… I hit myself in the face with the first swing. So just be glad you're not me."_

_It was her turn to stifle her laughter. "I suppose so."_

_"You know you don't have to fight with us, it'd probably be better if-" _

_"If I stayed where it was safe and out of danger." Elincia finished, looking as though she had heard the same line a hundred times. She gave a brief sigh and tugged lightly on the cuff of her gloves. "I've been through this spill with Lucia and Geoffrey and Bastian… But this is my fight just as much as anyone else's. If I'm expected to take over for Crimea, then I have to fight for Crimea first; I'll be worthless just sitting around hoping for the best. I may not be the best on the field, in fact I'll more than likely hurt myself in the mess, but… at least it's something. At least, I've contributed. It's my turn to take on some of the fighting, I have to protect my people." _

_"Well… I won't go back against the word of the woman I'm still contracted to." he admitted before he lifted his blade. "Alright, let's get started then. You know the basics, right?"_

_"Yeah, Lucia taught me once before." she nodded as she moved to mimic his posture. "I can't guarantee how accurate anything she taught me is, but… I'll try to keep up." _

_He moved slow with her, going through each move carefully and making sure she could keep up with him. She caught on quicker than he thought and he was impressed with how well she was learning- probably faster than he had. Of course, she would be riding on a Pegasus, so the moves he was teaching her wouldn't really be useful. But… he wasn't going to say anything. It took them a few days to finally have some free time to find a nice clearing to practice in; Titania had warned him to keep an eye out, as well as to mind himself around the Crimean Princess. He assured her he would… but as they continued to guide and follow blades, he kept finding himself getting distracted by her. _

_And then he carefully let her duel him for just a brief moment. It was more like a casual trading of swings and the brief collision of blades to make it seem more authentic. He guessed he might've chosen such a tactic to get a little closer to her, but… he didn't have to admit it. _

_"So… how do you think I'm doing?" she questioned as they stepped away from a brief break; one hand moving to wipe the sweat from her brow. "And be honest."_

_"You're catching on a lot quicker than I thought you'd be." he answered. "You're more graceful and while not every hit is successful… you know your accuracy; you know where you want to hit. You won't be an expert, but… you'll be a nice addition to the team."_

_She smiled lightly, pleased by the news._

_"It's a shame you can't stay." _

_And… that smile faltered slightly. "No… I suppose not, but… you could stay with me." it seemed like the words escaped her before she completely thought them through and when the realization hit her, so did a crimson flush._

_He chuckled once more at her expression. "Uh well, you know, I don't think I'm much Royal Knight material- you could ask Titania or Oscar about the position though."_

_"Oh I… I will keep that in mind." she stammered briefly before she steadied herself. _

_"Unless you have another position in mind." he continued. _

_She hesitated before a smile found her this time. "Well… I could think of one, maybe two." _

_It was his turn to be caught off-guard by her response, before he fixed himself. "Well… at least I wasn't the only one."_

_She laughed quietly and moved one hand to cover her mouth. "Perhaps we should go back to practicing now…"_

_Right._

_He lifted his sword once more and waited for her to signal him on, before he stepped forward to prepare his next swing; watching as she was quick to deflect the motion. However, she pushed his blade to one side and held her own forcefully against it- locking them together at arm's length._

_"Unless there's something you want to say." she pressed. _

_The words briefly stilled the breath in his throat and he partly waited for her to laugh it off and pull away to brush it aside as a joke. But she didn't. And… he was glad. He had told Titania he would mind himself around her, but… after everything they had gone through, it was difficult to keep himself separated from her. She was soon to be royalty; he was a mercenary. They were both lost, but she had a greater chance of finding herself than he did… She was elegant, proper, sophisticated and intelligent; she would make for the greatest leader Crimea would ever have… Goddess, it felt impossible to not fall for her. He had fallen for the way she used to cling to his arm whenever they entered a new region, a new city; the soft-spoken, unsure way she would tell him what to do and then quickly retract and ask if he had a better idea._

_She was noble and yet… just human. She acted no greater than he was, she didn't carry an attitude nor did she ever act selfish. If anything, she was more than grateful that she was alive and that she was with them- although she had apologized a few times before for bringing them into this mess. _

_He just… couldn't help it. _

_His sword clattered from his hand as he moved to kiss her; hands softly cradling her thin jaw. She hesitated at the unexpected embrace, but the resulting drop of her own sword was followed by the light grasp of her hands against him just the same- _

A second force against his chest startled the memory and he swore he heard himself sucking in a sharp breath of air, filling his lungs with fresh oxygen. He coughed slightly at the sudden feeling, and for the first time, felt a sense of movement return to him. Suddenly, it felt like he was more than just a conscious state, more than a floating thought- like he actually had a body now.

A broken body seeing how the pain still remained.

A hushed groan escaped him at the sudden realization of consciousness as he struggled to move a hand to his chest, placing it over the point of concentrated pain. His chest was absolutely throbbing; it made it difficult to breathe and almost any sense of movement was met with a faint sense of agony. There was no cracking though, no movement under his hand… it didn't physically feel like anything was broken, but something had to have been shattered judging from the pressure inside of his chest.

"He's awake."

Was he out?

"Give him some space. Don't crowd around."

His fingers eventually moved to his face, feeling the layer of cold sweat that coated his skin. How long had he been out? His skin felt cold for some odd reason… it probably had something to do with the hit or whatever happened. Most of the time, he found a sense of comfort in the dark, but after all those memories, he could go for something not so… closing. He practically had to force one of his eyes opened and to no surprise, his vision was blurred and spotted with white; giving him very little to work off of. But even as things started to pull back together and the spots faded away, all he saw was red.

"What the fuck happened?" the words were muttered, but at least he was successful in forcing them out.

"Language."

"You got beat down."

"The Goddess had one more trick up her sleeve."

"You went down like a rock."

A lot of disembodied voices that… did not answer him at all.

"Okay, with all due respect, none of you are helping. Right now, it does not matter what country you lead, I need you to step away and let me handle this." another voice finally spoke through the rush of answers.

He chuckled faintly at the words, able to identify the voice, and blinked a few times to let his vision finally settle. When it did, he could understand why all he could see was red. "Why don't you catch me up on things then, Rhys?"

The healer gave a heavy sigh and moved to press one hand against the side of his head- bringing attention to the wide gash under his hair that he had failed to notice before. Not that that meant anything really… there was probably a lot of things he had failed to notice at this point. "Well, that was quite the popular question we were all asking ourselves ten minutes ago. From what we can tell, Ashera wasn't going to go down easily with that final strike and decided to reflect a portion of it back just before she was taken out. Said force was enough to throw you from one end of the platform to the other and… well, by all means, you were dead. The hit broke some of your ribs, but it forced your heart to collide with your chest plate and enough force was applied to… ultimately stop it. We just now happened to get it back to beating… I'm surprised you managed to come to so soon, and that you're not suffering from any other aliments- at least as far as I can tell."

… So he was dead then. At least for that short while.

Giving out his own sigh, he closed his eyes and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead. Everything felt like it was moving too fast, he could barely keep up. For now, he just wanted to concentrate on breathing and… letting the pain ease away hopefully. But at the same time, he didn't want to rob everyone of his presence- they had to have been worried, some of them at least. His vision was clearer the second time around, and he noticed how everyone was trying not to crowd around and had forced themselves to give a few feet of space at best- thankfully at Rhys' request.

The second thing he noticed was how the healer was still tending to his injuries, even though blood had somehow spilled from his lips.

"Is everyone else okay?" Ike questioned finally, wondering why he didn't ask something like that sooner- although he supposed he had a pretty good reason not. "Why are you bleeding?"

Rhys briefly chuckled in response and moved to gingerly wipe some of the blood away. "Titania punched me."

"It was an accident, he fails to mention it was an accident." the quick interruption could only belong to the accused paladin herself as she knelt close to his side; one hand moving to take his own. Her expression was heavy with worry and touched only slightly with relief. And judging by the strength behind her grip, he had a feeling that she had been bothered over whether or not she'd be able to speak to him again. Even now, it seemed like she was still living in that fear. "… We were really worried, you know?"

"Worried enough to punch Rhys?" he replied, catching the quick frown that followed.

She seemed to give an exasperated sigh while the healer chuckled once again. "It was before you got hit, we thought it was over… I moved my arm back and forgot how close we were standing." she corrected. "I apologized and helped to stop the bleeding. You should've seen Lady Tanith, I'm pretty certain she almost crushed Apostle Sanaki."

He couldn't help but to laugh at her expense, before he carefully tightened his grip around her hand. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." he assured, watching as she shook her head in response. "… You couldn't lose me that easily, though. It would take even the Goddess more than one shot to take me down- even if she did technically kill me for a brief time."

The words finally seemed to convince her to smile lightly as she moved to brush his bangs away, pulling them from the sweat and blood that had dried against his skin. "We never gave up on you…" Titania started. "Greil would've been proud."

He paused slightly, realizing that such a thought had never really crossed his mind as of lately. Would the man even recognize him now? He went from being a mere rookie to… _this_- a Goddess slayer as Boyd would probably call him. The sudden thought of it hit him harder than it should and he felt her tighten her grasp as though understanding the impact. "… I'll be honest with you, Titania." he started, slow at first. "If defeating the Goddess doesn't make him proud, I don't know what will."

It was nice to hear her laugh again before she lightly ruffled his dirty strands. "He was a stubborn man when he wanted to be, you never know."

How true that was.

It was hard to believe it had been three years already. He really had gone from a wannabe-mercenary to… this. Some kind of hero… not a savior, but protector maybe. He had kept his promise to keep Mist safe, that was one of few things he had been asked… but he just kept going, he kept pushing. Because he never really would be the leader Greil was, but he could still be a leader. He could still be a Hero.

He defeated the Black Knight, even if it took him two times to do so… So that was retribution for himself; something he knew he needed to do even when everyone warned him about it. He helped Crimea back to its feet, he helped the Crimean family… And now, three years later, he was doing it all over again without hesitation. The Mercenaries were still together, they were still a family… that's all that mattered sometimes. And he hoped it would still be like that.

As stubborn as the man could be… even he knew Greil couldn't argue any of that.

"Thank you Titania."

"For what?"

He paused briefly before he continued. "For never giving up on me."

She nodded as though understanding everything all over again. "You never gave me a reason to."

He was almost certain he had a few times, but… hearing her say that made him toss those aside. He closed his eyes for a moment before something else crossed his mind. "I uh… where's Elincia?" he started.

"She's helping to heal the others right now." Titania answered. "Do you want me to get her?"

"I… I have to tell her something."

She held this look as though knowing well what he was going to say, but simply released his hand instead. "Alright, I'll get her and in the meantime, I'll make sure that everyone is still hanging in there." she spoke, giving him one last look before she pushed herself to her feet.

He watched her walk away before he felt a sharp pain at the side of his head and hissed accordingly.

"Sorry." Rhys replied. "This head wound is not looking good; you cracked it open when you hit the floor."

Why was that not surprising? He remembered hitting the floor and rolling a few times, it would only seem like a given to crack his head wide open at some point. "Did I break anything else?"

"Well, your right wrist is cracked, and your shoulder might be pulled. Asides from the massacre of your ribs and the mess of your head, I think you might be okay." Rhys answered with a sense of assurance. "Most of your surface injuries have been healed, but… this head injury is a little tricky; I'm really hoping the swelling won't undo everything."

"Have I ever told you that I appreciate your honesty sometimes?"

"I'm glad you think so- because most of the time I do feel the need to lie a little bit." he replied, glancing up at approaching footsteps before he looked back to him. "I'm going to let the healing settle for now and see if the swelling's going to start up or not. The process is going to need some time to completely run through, but your head should be okay soon enough. I… I'll let you two have some space and take over healing the others for now."

"Be careful and don't overexert yourself." he cautioned, watching as the man nodded in response before he got to his feet and eventually moved to the others. Letting out a long sigh, he hissed slightly as the motion only tugged at the pressure in his chest before he briefly braced his hands over his face. He was in… tolerable condition, nothing fatal had happened, he was still alive and everything was over now. He was lucky; as proven, it could've been a lot worse. Still, despite his injuries, he just wanted to get up and leave this tower and go back to greet everyone else outside. He needed to make sure they were all okay and had all made it out. That would be the last thing he needed to do… and these injuries were just slowing him down.

The sound of hands striking the floor space next to his head was enough to startle him from his thought and he quickly pulled his hands away to look into the slightly hazy, gold eyes above him. Her green locks were messily still hanging together, although a few had fallen loose from their collective bun and fell tangled around her shoulders. He could see where tears had once blurred her vision and stained her cheeks, leaving behind silver trails in their wake. It hurt to see her like that…

"I thought you were dead." Elincia started, her voice still unsteady and shaky; she was just surprised she could find her voice in the first place. The sense of grief that had struck her before left her stunned, motionless and weak, almost draining her of her strength. And yet, the following relief had yet to settle in completely, leaving her still fatigued and almost physically hurting. She didn't even care about the injuries she had gained before anymore. "Do you know how that felt?"

"… I kind of thought the same thing." he replied, stunned by the overwhelming sense of emotion in her eyes; it was almost paralyzing and he wasn't entirely sure what to do first. Slightly trembling hands gently moved to cup her still wet cheeks, hoping the motion might bring some sense of comfort. Just the touch of her again in his hands, the realization that this wasn't a dream of some sort… it brought on almost a painful sense of relief. "And… there's something that I learned from that…"

"And what was that?"

He continued to watch her, almost afraid that she was going to start crying again- even if it was out of relief, he was terrified of it. "… You were right."

The simply words confused her and he watched as she narrowed her eyes in question for a moment. Her lips slightly parted as though trying to figure out when to question him about it. "Right about what?"

"About you being the innocent Princess and me being the unruly Mercenary." Ike answered.

She seemed to still at the answer for a few passing seconds, at first still questioning and then moving on to realization. And in the bleakness of her tears and wounded appearance, she laughed. And it was the heavenly sound he needed to hear from her, not from his memories but… from her directly. Her fingers were still shaking as she moved to tuck aside her disheveled locks. "It took you dying to admit that I was right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty stubborn like that; I get it from my father."

She could only shake her head at him before she leaned in and gently brushed her lips against his forehead. The soft, warm contact seemed to ease his pain away. "I know you had no control over it, but… just never scare me like that again. Please."

He moved to tangle his fingers in her hair now as he lightly tugged her in closer; feeling the way the heavy locks fell easily through the spaces between his fingers. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try. Not that I can see what else after this could do so much damage." he remarked. "Well, maybe you."

She quietly laughed once more and touched her lips to his skin a second time. "Well, Lady Tanith has offered me lessons, so it is a possibility."

"That'll be a sight to see."

Despite his own want to get up and leave this place, he knew he still needed to rest and let the healing properties settle in. It felt like it took hours before his head no longer felt like it was trying to come off of his neck, but it was enough to convince him that he was well enough to move again. After all, they still had to climb back down and he didn't want to prolong any kind of celebration from the others who earned it. Titania helped him to his feet despite her own suggestion that he should wait a few more minutes just to be sure. And while it felt odd to be standing on his own feet again because he was almost certain he was going to collapse at any moment, it still felt good to be back into control.

He had lived, they had all lived to see this end…

"Looking better." Tibarn offered with a brief chuckle; the right portion of his face bruised and mildly swollen from having been broken before.

"Can't say I feel any better." Ike replied as he gingerly touched at the previously bloodied spot at the side of his head. "I should take some lessons on how to take a hit some time."

"Worry not, I'm surprised your fragile, Beorc form did not shatter completely under the force of the Goddess." Nailah started, looking a little more bloodied than bruised. "But you proved yourself and you won. That's all that matters."

She had a point.

"I'd hate to correct you Queen Nailah, but… we won; we all did." he started before he looked around at the small group crowded around. They were all bloodied, bruised and more than likely a little broken after that last hit… even after getting healed. But they were all here now. After all the struggle, all the pain, all the fighting… they no longer had to worry about it. But that still left them with one more struggle. "Now then, it's probably going to take us twice as long to get back down as it took for us to get up."

"Oh, uh actually… Yune has a solution for that." Micaiah spoke as she briefly stepped forward. Of everyone here, she seemed to show the least amount of injuries. But, judging from the relaxed pose she carried, the slight slump of her shoulders… it was the Silver-haired Maiden herself and not Yune this time around. "Before she completely returns, she said that she'll help us down to the city. She knows it's not much but it's something that she can do before she moves on."

Well… it was something.

"You would think a Goddess would be a little more gracious." Tanith stiffly remarked as she dabbled slightly with the bruising around one temple before she moved to brush her loose strands out of her face. "We just defeated her evil half and restored order across Tellius-" she stopped briefly when Sanaki dug her elbow into her hip.

"It's easier than taking the stairs back down." Titania reminded as she tried to keep her stallion calm once more, all while enduring his constant nudging against one shoulder.

"I have a Pegasus; it wouldn't have taken me that long."

He saw the red-haired paladin chuckle and shake her head at the unrelenting Pegasus Knight, who endured yet another jab from the Apostle. "Hey, we'll take what we can get."

He didn't know how the Goddess did it, but Yune was somehow able to create some kind of teleporting space so to say. All they simply had to do was stand on it for a few seconds before they reappeared outside the entrance of the tower. It was an odd experience and it reminded him of the staffs that the Begnion Senators had used at one point. He insisted that everyone go before him, choosing as such for a matter of manners, but he was only able to convince everyone but the Royalty.

And after a brief argument with King Caineghis, he knew an impossible battle when he saw one.

When he stepped through, it was odd and he swore it felt like he had died again… like he was just floating through space before his feet landed on the ground. He didn't realize how nice it was to be outside again, to feel the fresh air and the brief warmth of the sun; it made him almost forget about everything they had just escaped from. The dead air of the tower was long behind them now.

The soft brush of someone's hand against his slowly brought his attention back to the movement around them and he smiled lightly as he watched Elincia settle herself close to him. He caught the look Titania gave him, but he did little to put more space between them. They just defeated the Goddess… he could afford to hold the Crimean Queen's hand- he had practically earned it.

They waited until everyone had gathered at the bottom of the tower before they started towards the city gates. The city was still quiet, still motionless, but he wasn't necessary assuming that everything was going to fall back into place immediately.

He just wanted to move forward and see everyone again; he needed to make sure they were okay.

Approaching the city gates, the same ones that had been a beacon of hope and fear at the same time, they pushed them aside and stepped out onto the bridge outside. The same one that would lead them back to the open clearing where the others were last seen fighting… but instead of celebrations and shouts, they walked right into silence.

For a moment, he found himself stilled by it, wondering if the battle had somehow drifted elsewhere or maybe they had split apat… But there were no more golden suits of armor- no more Disciplines of the Goddess.

And that's when he noticed the different forms scattered across the clearing.

Motionless, contorted bodies laid collapsed against the green grass, weapons discarded just mere inches from open fingertips. The time it took for those images to register, for those broken forms to piece together, it all ended with sudden panic. Had they been slain? But… all of them couldn't have possibly been overrun. They weren't that outmatched, the golden suits were not that strong. They may have been outnumbered, but he didn't doubt their strength… No, not with all those soldiers they had. Not with his Mercenaries.

This wasn't happening.

No.

No. No.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am so sorry for the wait. My computer almost died and I couldn't access any of my files at the time; it's still struggling, but I managed to back up my files at least. I swear, one chapter left- I promise. **

The silence was antagonizing, but what was probably worse was the paralyzing feeling that came with the shock. And he knew he wasn't the only one. He could hear a few low curses behind him and immediately felt the hand in his tighten.

"Are… are they?" Elincia started, not entirely sure what she was seeing. This was field that had erupted into shouts and sheer fighting once they stepped through those gates; the one she was tempted to run back into once she noticed the sudden outbreak. This was where everyone was, this was where she left them thinking that she could finally do the fighting for them instead… This was where they were supposed to be safe. But they weren't. And maybe she was just fooling herself into thinking that anywhere would be safe for them at all.

All she could think about was Lucia and Geoffrey and Bastian… they were the only ones she had. She had had enough scares during this war, she couldn't handle anymore. Lucia and Geoffrey had been working themselves overtime enough with the fighting and Bastian had stressed himself over keeping his own plans pulled together.

Uncle Renning… She had just gotten him back, she couldn't lose him again. Not when she finally had some closure to hold on to.

And the rest of the Royal Knights. Kieran, Marcia, Makalov, Astrid, Calill and Danved… they had all put their life on the line again and again without hesitation.

No, this couldn't be true; they all couldn't have been taken out- not like this!

"I highly doubt it."

The words seemed odd amidst the silent chaos that was going on around them and she watched as Lady Tanith steadily pushed her way to the front of the group before she started on across the bridge. Her gait never once slowing down or even showing a step of concern or hesitation. "The Goddess could barely render me a concussion; I highly doubt her dead henchmen were able to take down Commander Sigrun."

Even amidst fear and panic, the brunette could always remain level-headed.

She hesitated before she slowly moved after her- figuring if anything… they wouldn't know until they looked and… confirmed it.

Just like before… it felt like he was too hesitative to move- almost afraid of what he might find out there; of what he might have to see. He glanced over to Titania standing next to him, her face showing only a fraction of what he was feeling; she seemed worried and possibly scared, but wouldn't entirely allow for her emotions to show it. "Do you think…" Ike started, not entirely sure where he was going with the words.

"No…" she replied softly, although seeming a bit unsure herself. "Before we left, I told Oscar to keep an eye on everyone; he wouldn't have allowed for anything to happen to anyone. This may simply be an illusion or whatever the word might be."

Right… right. Perhaps they had acted too quickly… the panic had taken over immediately and wouldn't let in any reasonable thoughts.

"I have to find Mist." he spoke before he pushed himself forward and moved across the bridge just as the rest of the group began to force themselves onward as well. He was still hoping for the best in this situation- convinced that with the number of people they came in with, it was near impossible for all of them to have fallen.

But just the same since they brought in so many soldiers, he wasn't even sure where to start to look for any of the Mercenaries or if he'd even be able to find all of them in the chaos. But he wasn't going to give up. They were his family… he wouldn't leave them alone in this.

And yet, he felt a sense of guilt for simply passing a few motionless people by without so much as stopping to see if they were breathing still. Most of them were bloodied with evident injuries, but nothing serious- just the usual scraps and scuffs. But when the guilt seemed to revive the throbbing in his chest, he stopped himself at the first familiar face he could find. And, with a still questioning sense of hope, he knelt down and gently nudged the unconscious swordsman. A few seconds passed on and he dreaded the worst until a quiet groan escaped the man.

"Ah… my head." Stefan hissed briefly as his unsteady hands started towards his head before they quickly moved to grasp at his bloodied side instead. "Best yet, my ribs…"

The dropping realization at the man's slow revival seemed to break every bit of tension there had been in the air. He wasn't sure how he wanted to react, but… he carefully moved to rest a careful hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Ike questioned, watching now as the green-haired man eventually rolled over onto his back, revealing a few more bloodied wounds- all while still cradling his side. But he nodded in a given response. "Well… Sir Stefan, you'll be the first to know that it's all over finally. Tellius is at peace once more."

"Well, Goddess be praised- actually I suppose we'll have to retire that saying now." he laughed before he finally managed to crack his eyes open. "Good Heavens, I don't have much to complain about when looking at you."

He chuckled briefly at the words, realizing he probably still looked like death itself, before he pushed himself to his feet; offering the man a helping hand. "It's nothing new and all well earned." with a careful lift, he pulled him to his feet and momentarily stressed at both of their injuries. "What happened out here?"

"Can't say that I remember much." Stefan replied. "I… remember fighting and then the soldiers disappeared and… everything went dark. I suppose we all passed out. At least, I would hope so."

"So then… no one's dead?" he questioned.

"Ha, heavens no… I mean, we were ambushed and outnumbered, but they were no match for us. The only struggles we had were with exhaustion seeing as those gold men resurrected again and again while we could barely keep our breath, but… nothing that's been out of our control." Stefan assured; pausing briefly, as though allowing for his own words to sink in for himself before he seemed to snap back to the environment around him; giving a quick, brisk look over. "Ah, where has my sword companion gone? Zihark? He couldn't possibly have gotten far."

Ike stepped back and watched as the green-haired man moved on with his new quest, before he continued on with his own. With the assurance that their first impressions had been wrong… he felt more at ease now. As far as Sir Stefan knew, no one had been seriously injured; if anything it seemed like everyone mostly had minor injuries and nothing more. He felt better moving past a few more unconscious forms, but he noticed that a few of them were finally stirring on their own and were slowly coming to; a few groaned and some others cursed but… they seemed relieved for the most part. And he couldn't blame them. He helped a few of people to their feet and passed on the good new, but didn't stick around to celebrate for the time being.

Despite the multitude of soldiers though, he was surprised it didn't take him all that long to find someone who was finally familiar- even if it was Boyd.

He knelt down besides the somewhat waking man, wincing briefly at the mess of blood that was caked on the side of his head. It looked like he had taken quite a hit but… he couldn't see the wound exactly- it couldn't have been that bad. "You okay there, monkey?"

The man's eyes briefly cracked open at the question and when he seemed to recognize him, he flipped him off.

"Hey now, that's not very nice to do to someone who just defeated the Goddess."

"Am I supposed to care?" Boyd remarked as one hand moved to press heavily to the side of his bloodied head; eventually feeling down to where it had caked all over his face. He grimaced slightly at the realization of the mess but he seemed to shrug it off. "You weren't down here getting the snot kicked out of you every time you turned around."

He would've liked to argue that, but… now didn't seem like the time nor place. "Uh well… not quite like that." Ike started with a brief chuckle as he brushed aside his loose bangs. He waited until the man seemed more in one piece before he continued speaking. "Do you know if everyone is alright? Where are the others?"

"How am I supposed to know? How long have I been out?" Boyd started, moving to rub at the back of his neck for a moment after giving up on his head. He took in a deep breath before he slowly let it out in an exaggerated manner. "Yeah, the last time I checked, we were all still alive. I don't know if we're all still kicking but- oh shit."

"What is it?" Ike quickly pressed.

The middle brother gave a brief chuckle before he spoke. "I just remembered that… Oscar fucked up his leg- again."

He paused slightly at the answer, watching as the darker-haired man only continued laughing at the answer he had previously given. His older brother had already cracked his right leg twice before in unrelated activities… he didn't know how else he could've broken it. "How bad?"

"Oh Goddess, you should see it. Is he around here somewhere?" Boyd continued, briefly glancing around the waking field before he slowly convinced himself to his feet. "There was so much blood, I think he got thrown from his horse or something; I didn't see the whole ordeal, but someone was yelling about it and I gotta tell you, it's not an easy sight. Mist tried to heal it, but-"

There it was.

"Mist, where is she?" he interrupted.

Boyd paused slightly at the question as though considering it himself. "Uh… somewhere over there maybe?" he replied, gesturing blindly to his right. "She was with Mia last I saw- or was it Nephenee?"

He didn't bother to hear the rest of the man's story and took off into the direction- hoping Boyd was at least right about the direction. He would take time later to sit down and talk to everyone to make sure they were okay, but… right now, he needed to find Mist. She was his priority now. He… he needed to tell her it was over- that it was all over.

Passing by a few people, he kept searching through the crowd of other familiar faces who were slowly coming to, until he finally saw her. She was just barely getting to her feet, looking unsteady with her balance wavering some, but she looked okay; she didn't seem injured thankfully. Her hair was a mess and she looked disoriented for a moment before she turned to speak with someone else- no doubtingly to ask about what had happened or what was going on now.

But then her balance seemed to become unreliable once more and she stumbled slightly to catch herself and nearly fell had he not rushed over to catch her. He quickly pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest, feeling all of that sheer panic and fear from before quickly ease away.

"Ah, you're crushing me!" Mist whined, swinging her legs when he briefly lifted her off the ground.

He didn't even care if he was holding her too tightly as long as he just knew she was okay… as long as he could just hold her right now. "You want to talk about being crushed, I could tell you a few things." Ike replied, feeling her struggle now in his hold before he finally released her.

She spun around and started to yell at him, before she finally recognized who he was.

He chuckled as her jaw dropped slightly and her expression was caught in brief shock; he swore she was about to fall again before she practically tackled into him. Despite her smaller frame, he still felt his ribs shift slightly under her force before he moved to catch her once more. Her hands tangled themselves in the mess of his tunic and between the slight suffocation of her head pressed into his shoulder, she had broken out into sobbing.

"Hey, hey, whoa, no crying." he started as he brushed aside her tangled, blonde locks. "I told you I would come back victoriously."

"I know… I just… anything could've happened. " she replied, eventually pulling herself away long enough to run the back of her hand across her eyes. "We just kept fighting and fighting… we didn't think it would ever end and then everything went black- I thought it was over."

Just like with Elincia before, even if all of these emotions were caused by relief, it still hurt to see. He couldn't imagine how difficult it was to be outside of the tower; he couldn't imagine the fear everyone went through. Just as Stefan had said, the Disciplines kept coming again and again without fail while they simply had to fight through wave after wave without rest. They didn't know if it was ever going to end. And they had to put all their trust into those who went into the tower and while he was sure they believed in those who had been sent in… that didn't mean they didn't have their doubts as well.

His hands moved to squeeze her shoulders gently. "Well it is." Ike spoke. "It's over. Ashera's gone and… everything can be normal again."

She paused slightly in trying to rub away the last of her tears and looked up to him. "You really did it then?"

"You can't tell?" he asked alongside a brief chuckle as he touched at the wounded portion of his head. "She really laid the beat down on me at that last moment. But that'll be a story to tell for later though… we should see who we can find in this mess."

She smiled and started to follow after him before something else seemed to come to mind. She stopped and immediately pulled on his arm- a motion he swore almost pulled him off his feet. "That means Rhys is back, right? We have to get him to Oscar- his leg is really bad."

Before he could so much as question her, she took off running across the field- leaving him behind her and in no real condition to run after her. Despite everything they had just gone through, it seemed like running the Mercenaries was still the most hectic of all of his duties. There were no breaks when it came to being a Mercenary.

Well… he'd make it after her eventually.

Maybe then he'd figure out what the hell was going on.

* * *

She remembered running like hell across the field after Lady Tanith had gone. Maybe she just wasn't as patient or strong-minded as the others were… but she needed to make sure they were just unconscious and not dead. She needed to find them first as well. They had just stepped out from the Guidance Tower, they had just finished defeating the Goddess, she couldn't stand any more stress or worry. She was going to be the youngest Queen with gray hairs.

Stepping through the crowded field, she winced at a few of the passing injuries but was comforted by the fact that the people were in the process of waking up- so their injuries weren't fatal. And more importantly, they weren't dead… like they had all naturally assumed. Thankfully. She would've cried in relief if she could, but she was emotionally drained from everything before; she could barely convince herself to do much else aside from run. Even then, her previous injuries, even though healed, were starting to slow her down now; their shock finally settling in.

But she pushed through the stiffness in her limbs and the faint ache in her chest to keep moving.

And it felt like she had traveled around the entire field before she finally found someone.

"Lucia!" Elincia called, easily catching sight of the unmistakable blue hair against the green grass. She stumbled slightly on her way over to her before she quickly fell down next to the unconscious woman; hands grasping at her bruised jaw. Her white uniform was cut from careful slashes and stained with blood, but… nothing seemed serious. She was still breathing and a slight twitch in her fingertips meant she was slowly coming to- just like the rest of the field. At this point though, the virtue of waiting meant nothing to her and she lightly shook the woman to garner a better response.

"Ah, ah… please don't move me." the blue haired woman gasped slightly as her hands slowly moved to cradle her midsection.

She felt a ting of regret for her decision at the woman's pained reaction, watching as her eyes tightened together while her lips pressed into a tight grimace. "Are you alright?" Elincia questioned as fingers moved to brush aside her stuck blue, bangs. "What happened?"

Lucia groaned briefly before she slowly rolled over onto one side, carefully straightening out her body while trying to take off some of the pressure from her ribcage. "I got blindsided by a fucking paladin… ugh… it knocked me out, I don't know what happened after that. What's going on now?"

Okay well… she was still alive and okay. Still, it was rare for a paladin knight to just rush across the field and use his horse as a weapon; she had witnessed paladins running into one another in an attempt to knock the other down, but never against a ground unit- then again, these weren't normal soldiers. It had her worried, even if Lucia appeared to be functioning well enough with her given injuries. "I… well… it's over." Elincia started as she set her hands almost awkwardly against her knees; it felt so surreal to say those words, she wasn't even sure if it was… proper to celebrate them anymore. "We defeated the Goddess and… I guess everyone seems okay."

It took a moment for the stiff pain to settle, and when it did, Lucia pushed herself up- at the soft crackling of her ribs- and threw her arms around the Crimean Queen; eventually pulling her down to the ground in a tight embrace. "Thank Goddess- although I guess we might have to retire that now… Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She had split both hands open from her reigns and her knees too from hitting the tiles. The Goddess had managed to do some serious damage- although never quite as bad as it felt. Her bones felt stiff from the healing methods and her overall mental health felt like it had deteriorated and regenerated again and again throughout the entire Tower.

"No, a little sore but… nothing like you." Elincia laughed quietly. "I'm just glad it's all over… now we can finally go back home."

"At least everything else will be easy compared to this." Lucia chuckled as she moved to brace her hands against her head before she quickly pulled them away with a short curse. "Oh Goddess… where did Geoffrey get to? I think he and Renning got into a bad spot…"

Uncle Renning.

She quickly pushed herself back up at the words, feeling a sense of worry course through her once more. She knew that at least they were okay, but… that didn't necessarily mean anything else couldn't have happened. Just because someone lived through this, that didn't mean they were okay in the sense of the word. "We have to go find them and make sure they're fine."

"Don't worry, I'm sure they would've done more damage to each other than anyone else could." Lucia assured before she reached a hand up towards her. "Mind giving me a hand?"

With a careful pull, she helped the woman to her feet and quickly offered a shoulder to her when she almost fell again. Lucia laughed off her lack of proper balance and took a few seconds to find her center of gravity before she could finally walk without the possibility of falling again. She moved at a slightly slower pace, but they kept together as they moved across the field.

It took her a shorter amount of time to find the reviving pair than it did to find Lucia- which she was grateful for. She was glad to see the two men were already getting to their feet, although slightly unsteady before they caught themselves. From a distance, they looked okay, a bit more battered and bruised but overall in good health. Their mounts weren't anywhere, but she'd guess the aftermath didn't affect animals and the two horses might've taken off in panic.

"Are you two alright?" Elincia asked as she quickly stepped forward towards the two.

"It's nothing to worry about." Renning started to assure, even as one hand briefly rubbed at the lower portion of his back. Blood had caked down part of his face, but he didn't seem to care for the injury that caused it. "You might want to worry more for your _General _over there."

"With all due respect, Duke Renning… you ran into me." Geoffrey retorted as he kept one hand pressed tightly to the left side of his face. Blood was visible when he slightly pulled away; fingers gingerly touching at the injury underneath.

"I have never ran into comrades before on the field in all my years of experience- you however-"

"Perhaps you should get your eyes checked, old man."

The two couldn't have been reunited for more than a few weeks at most and she was surprised at their immense sense of competitiveness towards one another. She tried not to question it for now and quickly stepped between them to prevent the conversation from going further- which would be the best for the both of them. She moved to rest her hands on Renning's arms and gently squeezed them. "I'm just glad you're okay… I was so worried something happened to you while we were in the Tower. All I could think about was how you just found me and… and I was afraid I was going to lose you all over again."

His heavy hands moved to rest on her slender shoulders before he carefully pulled her against him, practically hiding her with his larger frame. "It's quite alright, Elincia… it would've taken more than these dead husks to take me out again. I'm just glad you came out of that Tower alive and well; I was afraid I would've lost you just the same."

"What on Tellius happened to your face?"

The question broke the already short moment and she glanced up as Lucia moved towards her brother, already trying to move his hand away from the bloodied facial injury. He was able to hold her off for some time, but with a defeated sigh finally let her have her way.

"Lucky hit, I guess." Geoffrey answered as he eventually submitted to the woman's prying; revealing where the previous scar tissue had been ripped a good inch or two from at the corner of his lip. The former Glasgow scar itself was partly revived and bloodied all over again. It stung like hell, but wasn't nearly as painful as it had been the first time around. He heard Lucia click her tongue in agitation but she said little else. "I saw you take that hit, are you okay?"

"I'll live." she assured as she gently tried to tend to the bloodied injury before simply giving up. "He hit hard and I blacked out afterwards, so the pain has had time to kind of settle and it's not as bad as it could be- thankfully. I feel like shit enough as it is."

"I know that feeling." he humored lightly before he gave the waking field around them a brief look over. "I'll let those two have their time. I need to look for the rest of the Knights before they start getting panicked."

"You might want to look for Kieran first then." Lucia replied as she lightly patted him on the arm. "I'll bear the burden of searching for Bastian."

"I'm sure he'll find you first."

She watched as the two eventually walked away, both of them determined to find some of the others- just as she had been determined to find them. They would have time to rejoice at their reunion later… for now, she just wanted to rest and let the moment pass her by. There was so much she would need to do once things had settled down and it could all go back to being normal again. And not just country wise, not just with handling diplomatic issues, but… things more along the lines of domestic work. She needed to work with Uncle Renning to catch him up on current events, give him time to settle in and let him work at his own pace; it wasn't going to be easy for him to readjust, he had been gone for three years… a lot had happened since then. Not to mention more reconstruction was needed, as well as some minor touches in terms of order. She was already getting a headache from it again- or maybe it was the aftereffects of the Goddess' attack still lingering about.

"Quite a strange pair those two are, even after all these years." Renning remarked.

She chuckled lightly at his words. "Yes well… if you're coming back to Crimea with me, then you're going to have to get used to them."

"We'll see about that."

She would also eventually have to introduce Ike to him as well as… someone other than a simple Mercenary-turned Hero- maybe as someone more along the lines of a husband. But that could wait until a more appropriate time.

It felt as though it took hours to get everyone back on their feet with their heads back together; some of them seemed disoriented on what happened and questioned if the war was still ongoing, while others simply waved the matter off as though it no longer mattered. Overall, not all that many people were seriously hurt and most seemed to bear a few minor gashes and cuts that they assured meant nothing. She actually felt a little bad for Rhys; he had healed everyone throughout the Tower battles only to come back out here and have to heal some more. She was pretty certain she overheard Titania telling him not to overexert himself, but… he may or may not have passed out a few minutes later.

There were quiet celebrations as everyone seemed too exhausted to do anything extravagant- which most people seemed to agree with. They shared a few cheers, hugged one another and praised each other's strengths- there were tears though and a lot of open displays of affection towards one another. Most of it would seem to embarrass those in the embrace, but like most, they didn't seem to care for it for the moment. They were alive and lucky to be as such.

After making sure her Royal Knights were taken care of, she wandered about the open field once more- quietly laughing at the people who remained settled in the grass as they had been before; if anything, the field didn't look all that different from when they stepped out before, only they knew everyone was okay this time around. She stopped to speak with a few of the others, revealing that Lady Tanith had been correct in knowing Commander Sigrun's well being; that all of the Heron siblings were well and reunited once more; and that Stefan and Zihark were busy sharing a brief drink from a flask. But… there was one person she was still looking for- one that was proving to be more difficult to find than she thought it would be. For a man who just defeated the Goddess, he could still disappear into a crowd.

Not that well though.

"Feeling any better?" Elincia questioned as she looked down at the resting figure. He was resting just as the others were and seemingly had to force his arm away from his face in order to look up to her. While the healing before seemed to be completing its course, he still had some dark bruises covering good portions of his face. "You look… a little better."

"You don't have to lie to me." he assured with a brief chuckle before he held a hand up to her. When she took it, he simply pulled her down into the grass next to him. "Victory comes at a price."

She landed rather roughly in the grass but managed to do so with some bit of grace so she didn't look all that horrid. Shaking her head at his antics, she watched as he stretched briefly before he loosely crossed his arms over his chest. "Indeed it does. But at least with this victory, nothing was lost."

"How are the Royal Knights doing?"

"They're good, nothing serious." she answered as she eventually moved to rest on her back, no longer caring if anything got in her hair at this point. "At most, Marcia fractured her shoulder but it wasn't serious; Laura healed it up really quick and said it wouldn't be much trouble. One of Geoffrey's scars ripped open, but it's been healed since; Lucia hasn't stopped laughing at it." she chuckled herself at the remembrance of their brief argument over the matter. "What about the Mercenaries?"

He let out a brief sigh in answer. "Uh… good, given the situation and what could've been. Although Oscar apparently broke his leg when he got thrown from his horse, which had gotten frightened by a Fire Sage. It's uh, it's not pretty."

"How bad was it?"

"The bone snapped in half and a piece of it pierced through the skin." he answered as briefly as he could. "Rhys had to reset it before he could even heal it, but he's resting for now; nothing seems wrong with it, so we're all hoping for the best."

She grimaced slightly at the description before she reached over and gently took one of his hands into hers; feeling the subtle warmth in his touch once more. "I just hope everyone pulls through this… We've got a lot of work ahead of us now and there's a dozen different places to start."

"Do you ever think of anything besides work?" Ike asked.

She glanced over to him for a moment before she lightly pushed herself up onto her forearms. "You have the audacity to ask me that?" she teased. "Do you still remember who I am or did the Goddess hit you a little harder than expected?"

"No need to get rude." he chuckled as he slowly moved to face her now, fingers moving to brush through her loosen strands. "Don't let the future weigh you down. Don't think about... anything asides from what's here right now, what's right in front of you. That's what's important."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm terrible at this updating thing. Not sure why, it was never a problem with me before, but suddenly now it is. Anyways, the long, awaited ending (for me) to a story that went on too long and should've stopped at five chapters. Overall, I would say I'm pleased with it. If I had known it was going to go onward through the Goddess battles when I originally started the story, I would've done a lot different. It dragged, it got confusing and a lot of times veered off from where it was supposed to go. I did enjoy doing interactions though, even the fight scenes were fun- I was able to really give in to some creative sides of it. The last few chapters were somewhat disappointing for me, I just got so far between updates and working on it that I just wanted it done and didn't really give it all the time it needed. Changed up the ending too because I hated the ending to Radiant Dawn; I needed closure, so I typed it for myself and anyone who reads this. All in all, I'll give it a good mark for now and check it off as completed. **

Sometimes the passing months felt more like years, but they weren't nearly half the difficulty that the aftermath of the Mad King's War had been. It wasn't so much the reconstruction that did her in, but the meetings and conferences with the other countries. They had spent most of the war together, but never once did formalities or treaties even come to mind… They spent their time now focusing on them though. And it was tiring, tedious and more often than not, the end of the meetings left her head buzzing for some kind of relief. She was glad for it though; she appreciated everyone's efforts with the ordeal. They were exhausted enough taking care of their new countries, what with Micaiah and Sothe taking over Daein, Prince Skrimir reigning Gallia, and Prince Kurthnaga protecting Goldoa. She knew what it was like taking over a new country with little to no experience and she admired their efforts to balance the new responsibilities with making treaties as well. At the very least, they knew each other from the campsites and battlefields, so they weren't complete strangers.

It was going well though. With a few more meetings, they would be finished and be able to focus completely on other matters.

She wasn't completely willing to wait that long though. She had matters that needed to be handle almost immediately and she knew they wouldn't go over smoothly. And whether or not those matters would affect the upcoming conferences would depend on how well she handled her actions now.

"Queen Elincia, with all due respect, this council has been over this matter before."

She chuckled lightly at the councilman's response, his tone sounded just as tired and worn down as this topic felt. Still, she was holding over the exhaustion from the meeting three days before, the council could deal with a little repetitive speech. Fingers tapped lightly against her lower lip before she moved to cross her arms over her chest. "That was three years ago. He's a bit more than just a Mercenary now. He defeated the Goddess and helped to save Tellius as a whole; he helped to defend Crimea and saved a few of our forces in the process. Why? Why is this still not good enough?"

Before, she had once asked those questions with a sense of confusion and irritation.

Now, it was almost a game. She would've laughed it off had she not planned ahead for the debate.

The room was silent for a moment and she noted that each of the fifteen councilmen almost dared to roll their eyes at her questions. She didn't blame them if they did, they had their reasons to and she wasn't quite ready to roleplay the part of being an ever-fearing Queen. At least, not yet- if needed be.

"While all of that is a promising list, it still boils down to the fact that he is not of a noble name." another member, Tane, if she remembered his name correctly, spoke.

Ah yes, that old argument. As if she hadn't heard enough of it before.

As she had mentioned though, that argument came three years ago. She had been naïve about this position; she was young and easy to push around… she had let them take that as a victory. Although she didn't really put up the best of fights for it.

And because of that, as far as she was concerned, she drove him away for those following three years.

But she was stronger now, more determined and she knew exactly what she wanted. She wasn't going to make that same mistake again.

"I assure you, that will not be an issue." Elincia spoke as she kept to maintaining her smile from before, while still addressing with a formal voice. "Because, he will have a noble name."

"That's not possible-"

"He'll have mine." she interrupted. "Because I'm marrying him, no matter what. Now, you may bark and whine all you want over this issue, but… I've already gone over the arrangement and you have no say in it. I've already gotten the blessings from Daein, Begnion, Gallia, Goldoa, Hatari and Serenes. In fact, by tradition, the only person who can give me away in marriage would be a relative… this had been an issue before, but perhaps to your dismay, Sir Renning has agreed to do so. Noble name or not, he is a Hero; he has saved my life countless times and… I intend on making him my husband with or without the council's consent."

Silence.

She could only judge from their facial expressions that it was either shock or disgust that responded to her words. And at this point, she didn't care for which ever one it was. Unfolding her arms, she picked up the loose sheets of paper she had brought with her- most of which were last-minute treaty details she needed to look over- before she made her way out of the room; ushering for Lucia to follow her. The blue-haired woman had been rather silent throughout the ordeal, but judging from her strained expression, it was all because she had been desperate not to burst out laughing in some way.

They barely made it down the corridor before she lost her control.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Lucia questioned between different spurts of laughter.

She had been rather successful with keeping her emotions together, but after watching Lucia break out into laughter... she couldn't help but to share the feeling. Her fingers ran through her loose, Emerald locks, tossing them slightly in her hold as she tried to keep her hands from shaking. "Well… I knew they were going to object to it, so I kind of wrote out a speech beforehand." Elincia started, grinning as she heard Lucia snort lightly before she covered her mouth with her hands. "I mean, I listened to them three years ago and look at what happened. I told myself I would never make that kind of mistake again and I intend to keep my word on it."

"Aww." Lucia mused as she moved to place a hand on her shoulder and gently squeeze it. She gave a comforting smile before she pulled her into a quick hug. "That's beautiful. Don't worry though, you couldn't possibly lose him this time around."

She smiled once more and nodded into her shoulder, before she gently pushed herself free. "You're right. Although, I suppose now… I should go see if he's back from his ride this morning. He said he wouldn't be long."

"Go get him." Lucia chuckled as she pushed her forward. "And while you're dealing with that, I have to go deal with a matter that include Count Bastian and the amount of flowers that are flooding my room right now."

Of course.

With the end of the War came a lot of new changes and... a lot of old habits.

The palace still ran as it had before- a lot smoother though. Uncle Renning had chosen to simply act as an aid if she ever had any questions or a bodyguard if someone threatened her- or in some cases, if someone looked at her for too long. Lucia kept to balancing all of her previous businesses, although there seemed to be an influx of suitors now who enjoyed sending her gifts. None of them were quite as extravagant as the ones Bastian sent her. And after some long conversations and discussions between the two of them, Lucia decided to take some of her loosely-given advice and give the Count a chance. That only seemed to encourage more gift-giving.

There were still a few skirmishes now and again that the Royal Knights took care of, but when they weren't dealing with those, they focused on training the new recruits. Renning had given Geoffrey a hard time about being the Crimean General, but after a few well-observed battles and Healer visits, the two seemed to be on even ground now. Thankfully. The training sessions seemed to be going well from what little she had seen of them, but Geoffrey had once remarked that the new recruits seemed... uneasy around him. At first, it had been a question of why, but the answer was rather quick to come forward. Marcia and Calill had apparently told a few of the recruits some kind of made up, horror story about the scar on his face and things went from there. They had gotten Danved in on it as well, and despite the heavy rejection of such details from Kieran... the recruits apparently still carried the story with them. Astrid and Makalov had requested some time off once things had settled down, but she had insisted that they take the time now while it was still there. She knew Astrid would want to check in and see how her family was coping in Begnion and she wasn't going to hold her back from that.

It felt like she had walked around the entire palace several times over, checking the front courtyards, the stables, even in several of the wings, before she managed to catch a glimpse of him by chance. That was her one critique of the palace... at times, it was impossible to find the one person she was often looking for in here. Now, whether that was the ever-winding corridors or just him was still up to debate. She heard herself chuckle quietly as she watched him from a distance, noticing the way he was able to keep himself almost perfectly still- more than likely in thought as always. Then again, he was standing in one of the many balconies the palace had to offer and this wing tended to be rather empty at times; so no one was here to disturb him.

With the exception of her.

Drawing in a long breath, she made her way across the adjoining lobby and quieted her footsteps as she neared him. He didn't even turn as her boots clicked briefly against the tiles, stilling her for a moment before she continued onward. Even as she briefly crossed her arms over the thin railing in front of them, he didn't move. He seemed completely at ease; there was no tension in his features, his shoulders were slightly slumped downward and he seemed more concentrated on something in the distance.

Somehow, she still knew that look though.

"Thinking about leaving?" Elincia questioned softly, catching the way he jumped briefly at her words; his relaxed composure broken. She laughed at the quick glance he passed her way before he seemed to let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"No, no, I'm just… thinking, that's all." Ike answered as a brief mutter as he pushed his fingers through his loose bangs.

She gave him a short pause to recollect himself.

"I know that look." she spoke, fingers moving to fiddle with the cuff on one sleeve. "I always said that I would never attempt to tame it."

"And I said that I would settle down if I could do so with you." he countered, almost as though he had predicted what her words were going to be. "… Unless there was a problem with that."

It took her a moment before she smiled once more. "I have that part all under control for the time being. In fact, I just got out of the meeting about it."

He waited for her to continue, only to watch as she simply kept smiling towards him- as though waiting for him to question her first for the rest. It was always just a little game she liked to play with him- it gave her the fun of holding back information and watching him trying to struggle for it. He couldn't deny her the fun of it though. Not to mention, she was getting better and better at it. "And?"

"And… they'll just have to see it my way." she asserted, pushing her shoulders back slightly to look more powerful. "I pretty much told them that if they didn't agree with it, then so be it… but they could lick my boot over it because I'm not going to budge."

Her response ended off differently than expected and he laughed at the sudden change of tone. He pushed himself from the railing and moved to wrap his arm around her slender waist. "There's my Princess." he whispered as he brushed his lips against her forehead. "So… that means we need to work out a date then?"

"Oh no, I figured we could just run off and elope." she offered, almost feeling herself melt under the warm embrace. "It'd be less of a hassle that way."

"As tempting as that is, Titania would kill me for robbing her of her chance to see my wedding." Ike remarked with a bit of a wince at just the thought of what the woman might do. While Titania had been cautious of their relationship at first, the second time around for it seemed to had won her over. She once commented that she knew it was a useless battle to fight the moment she recognized the look they used to pass at one another during the Mad King's War. And while even fighting against the Goddess, she had warned him to watch his steps... she never outright corrected him. She had accepted them a long time before. She had taken Elincia under her wing for some time, taking care of her like she did with the rest of the Mercenaries; providing her with a maternal figure to look to.

She would kill the both of them if they chose to skip out on an elaborate wedding.

"And Renning would kill me for not giving him the chance to walk me down the aisle." Elincia remarked with another brief chuckle. Her Uncle had been weary of Ike the moment he heard her talking about him in... such a familiar tone. Lucia and Bastian certainly didn't help her case with that one, what with the both of them openly talking about their courtship to him. Ike didn't really get to know Renning until the war was over and things were being brought back together. She had organized a few meetings for them and while the first times were awkward, they seemed to get along shortly after. She wasn't sure Renning was completely okay with the proposal, but as he had once said, she had gone through so much hardship already, she needed someone who could make her happy. He was the only one she had left and vice versa; he wouldn't dare miss the opportunity to see their family grow once again. "So… we're really going to do this then?"

"Getting cold feet already?"

"What? No, no… of course not." she assured before she moved to lean back against the railing. "It's just, you know… I remember the first day we met. I remember all those days we spent together, all the things you used to tell me to make me feel better. And then the war was over and so were we." she paused slightly and watched as he moved to lean in next to her. "For three years, it was a hassle to get anything done; I used to be so exhausted at the end of the day that I'd just fall asleep in my desk right there. Sometimes I'd be thankful for the work because it used to keep my mind off of you… not all the time, but occasionally. And then this war started and we were side to side again. I tried to keep to my role as Queen, I tried to make this country proud, but… it was killing me. Because in order to do so, lawfully, I'd have to forget about you overall. And I couldn't do that. Then things turned out the way they did and I found out that it didn't matter, nothing ever did. I was just to scared to look at it head on. But that's not the case anymore and it… it feels great."

He listened intently to her words, expecting to find something hidden in them. "So… what's the issue then?"

"There is no issue, I told you that." she reminded. "I just get so caught up in wondering what it's going to be like coming home to you every day."

"You terrify me sometimes, Lady Crimea."

"I don't try to- although it's not hard." she added quickly.

He shook his head at her teased words. "Well, don't worry, you'll have an answer to your question soon enough. Although I should warn you that I'm not all that entertaining to come home to. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get home after all of your royal business."

"Ah see, as the newly appointed spouse to the Crimean Queen, you're required to accompany me to every royal conference there is." she corrected. "So get used to the endless traveling, the endless talking, the endless arguing and then coming back so you can repeat it all over again the next day."

He held a moment of silence before he let out a long sigh and pushed his fingers through his bangs once more. "Ah well… there are worse things I could be doing. At least I can argue with people that I know- and it's better than hanging out with Boyd and Ranulf all the time."

"Well, be prepared for the awkward questions." Elincia warned. "Like, when's the wedding? When's your first born? What's it like… in the bedroom? Be prepared for that last question quite a bit. You'd think we'd spend our time more wisely at some of those conferences. And Goddess knows I could've gotten by without all the details from last time."

"Tell them that the wedding's in a few months, give or take the actual planning and coordination of it. As for the first born, we're still working on it-" he started, laughing when she dug her elbow underneath his ribcage in an attempt to silence him. "As for the last question-"

"Don't."

"Tell them it's nothing that can be described- only experienced."

Her elbow struck him again, harder this time and with enough force that he tilted himself away from her; one hand moving to tend to the now tender area. "Perhaps we should reconsider this marriage thing." she remarked with a brief chuckle.

"You'd still rather have me as a Master of some sort than as a husband?" he asked.

"Whichever option keeps you out of my hair." she replied.

"I don't think it's your hair you should be worried about."

With a subtle push, she straightened herself up and removed her weight from the railing. "This was a lovely conversation we had, I'm glad we talked, but… now I must go inform Uncle Renning of the recent updates on this matter." she started, as she tried to ignore his attempts to stifle his own laughter.

He shook his head as he managed to clear himself up before he moved to follow her. "You're right, he would appreciate the news. Can we still have him joust at the reception?"

"I said no the first time and it's still a no."

"What if I get Geoffrey to agree?"

"No. And no to anyone else you'd be able to influence."

He shook his head at her quick ability to deny any other possibilities he might've had in his head- she always seemed to be able to do that. She must've learned to do so after all that time together during the War. He guessed he would have to get used to it or find a way around it eventually. There was plenty of time for that later though. Stepping forward to catch up with her as she moved into the adjoining room, he caught her by the arm and carefully pulled her around to him. "Asides from a brief meeting with Duke Renning, is there anything else you have planned for the day?"

"Not unless the council wish to grapple over this topic of marriage once more." she answered, before she caught the brief look in his eyes. She knew that look well, but still convinced herself that it was nothing more than innocent- although she couldn't deny the pressing grin on her lips. "Why? Do you wish to make plans?"

"Something like that."

Of course he would leave her with that kind of thought.

"Once I finish speaking with Uncle Renning and getting his consent once more... I'll come find you."


End file.
